Robot Teaches Kids Indigenous Language Before It Disappears

Danielle Boyer was staring at a Tickle Me Elmo doll when she realized something was missing. Why weren't there any toys teaching Indigenous kids their own languages?

Years later, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians member built exactly that. Her SkoBot is a shoulder-sized robot decorated with woodland floral designs that teaches children Anishinaabemowin, her people's language.

Time magazine named Boyer one of the 100 most influential people in AI this year. She's spent her career creating free science and tech resources for Indigenous children, especially girls.

The dome-shaped robot can easily fit in a shoebox and responds to voice commands. When asked "what is bear?" in English, it answers "Makwa" in a child's voice, playing recordings from tribal elders and language keepers.

Boyer founded the STEAM Connection nonprofit when she was just 18. The organization produces robot kits from recycled plastic and distributes them to schools serving Indigenous students.

Growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Boyer faced constant barriers to educational opportunities. High costs and harassment made robotics teams hard to access for Indigenous youth like her.

"I took all those experiences that I had, and negativity within science and tech, and I wanted to turn it into something positive," she told attendees at Dartmouth's Hood Museum of Art during a recent AI symposium.

The Ripple Effect

The SkoBots are distributed as "class pets" to tribal schools, giving kids a fun way to interact with their ancestral language. Boyer's own grandmother, the last fluent Anishinaabemowin speaker in their family, voiced the very first SkoBot.

Every design choice reflects community values and needs. The robots work offline because some Indigenous communities lack reliable internet, and all recordings stay on internal servers to protect data sovereignty.

Boyer deliberately avoids the tech industry's "move fast and break things" mentality. "I think often what's broken is people and our communities, and I think that we can do better than that," she said.

The robots teach more than language. Boyer believes robotics gives youth technical skills in hardware, soldering, computer science, and mechanical engineering all at once, with instant feedback when something goes wrong.

At a time when AI companies face criticism for using Indigenous languages without permission, Boyer champions a different approach. She asks users to consider who built AI tools, whose data trained them, and whether those people gave consent.

Her work shows technology can preserve endangered cultures instead of erasing them.