Creating a Responsible AI Framework for Cultural Validity: Exploring Heritage Futures with an Ovahimba Indigenous Community of Namibia

This study introduces a Responsible AI (RAI) co-design framework for culturally valid representations, developed through community-based co-design with an Ovahimba community of Namibia. The framework emphasises three key pillars of process, purpose, and context, to ensure that AI systems accurately and respectfully represent indigenous knowledge and cultural values. To evaluate the framework, two Virtual Reality (VR) worlds were created: one AI-generated, which did not incorporate local cultural aspects, and the other designed using the framework to co-create culturally valid representations. Both VR worlds were assessed with members of the Ovahimba community. The results demonstrate the ability of the framework to guide RAI development that can safeguard cultural heritage and promote inclusive, accurate, and meaningful digital representations. This scalable approach offers a model for integrating cultural validity into AI systems across diverse communities.