Mason Grimshaw established Lakota AI Code Camp in January 2021.

In short, what is Lakota AI Code Camp?

Our team of indigenous experts teach software and AI fundamentals to Native high schoolers and provide a community to support their continued learning. Each student at the camp learned Python, and built an Android app in unity that identifies everyday objects and shows the Lakota name for the object.

What led you to creating Lakota AI Code Camp?

I didn’t have any exposure to programming through high school, let alone AI, but it’s honestly exactly how I think and how my brain works. The code camp is the camp I would’ve wanted younger me to have. These ideas won’t be everyone’s favorite, but at least the students will get that exposure and who knows, maybe one of our students will build a Lakota version of Siri that allows our communities to talk with our devices in our own language. After this first camp, I’m convinced that the sky is the limit for our students.

What has been your biggest lesson/surprise/takeaway since starting the camp?

For me, it’s all about having a strong team that can be honest with itself. We’re becoming great friends through this process, and we can joke around with each other, but we can also get serious and critical when we need to be. This would’ve been much more difficult without my awesome team.

What do you appreciate about being part of the Black Hills business community?

Paha Sapa is incredibly important to our culture and our history as Lakota people. Bringing these ideas and creating these communities in this place gives it extra meaning to me. There’s no reason we can’t be on the cutting edge here in the Black Hills.

What has been your biggest struggle?

Having indigenous instructors and staff is really important to us as it elevates the experience and inspiration felt by our students. However, finding these Indigenous technologists, especially in AI and data science, has proved challenging. We don’t have an easy solution as many of our communities suffer from current and historical problems with technical resources and availability, but we’re always looking for likeminded Indigenous folks in the space of AI. We also hope that our students will be able to return as teaching assistants and eventually as instructors.

What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

Find a good team and don’t be afraid to be wrong. It’s all about iteration and learning from your mistakes. Don’t take failure personally and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You might have an idea that people are looking for!

Connect with Lakota AI Code Camp:

Website: https://lakota.aicode.camp/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/aicodecamp