Volume VI Special Issue VI September 2026

Name of Author : Dr. Georgin M T

Title of the paper : Digital Storytelling and Indigenous Cultural Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed the ways in which cultures are documented, and transmitted across generations. For communities, whose knowledge systems have traditionally been sustained through oral storytelling, rituals, and collective memory, digital media presents both opportunities and complex ethical challenges. Social media platforms, digital archives, artificial intelligence, and virtual museums now offer innovative means of safeguarding endangered languages, documenting oral histories, and amplifying Indigenous voices to global audiences. At the same time, these technologies raise significant concerns regarding cultural appropriation, intellectual property rights, data ownership, algorithmic bias, and the commercial exploitation of knowledge. This paper explores how digital storytelling contributes to the preservation of Indigenous cultures. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives, Digital Humanities, and Cultural Studies, the paper analyses contemporary initiatives involving digital archives, AI-assisted language revitalisation, and social media activism. Particular attention is given to the ethical principle of data sovereignty, which emphasises the right of communities to control, access, and govern their own cultural knowledge. The study argues that digital technologies should function not as replacements for traditional knowledge systems but as collaborative tools that strengthen cultural continuity. The paper demonstrates that meaningful digital preservation depends upon ethical partnerships, community participation, and culturally sensitive technological innovation rather than technology alone.

Keywords : Indigenous Studies, Digital Storytelling, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Archives, Cultural Heritage

DOI :

Page Number : 83-90