This presentation shares the early-phase learnings of a kaupapa Māori PhD exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be ethically and effectively integrated into breast cancer care pathways for wāhine Māori. Despite significant advancements in health technologies, most models of care remain misaligned with Indigenous worldviews and continue to underserve Māori. This research investigates how a culturally grounded, AI-enhanced model — co-designed with wāhine Māori — can improve access, navigation, and outcomes within the symptomatic breast cancer pathway.

Guided by kaupapa Māori and the He Pikinga Waiora framework, the research explores three interwoven components: (1) the barriers and enablers wāhine Māori experience in the current care system; (2) Māori and clinician perspectives on the role and risks of AI in healthcare; and (3) the development of a co-designed, whānau-centred model of care that integrates AI in a way that upholds tikanga, data sovereignty, and relational accountability.

This research contributes to the growing field of Indigenous health innovation by asking: What would it look like if emerging technologies were designed by, with, and for Māori? And how might AI become a tool for transformation rather than a mechanism of exclusion?

Three Key Learnings:
1. How kaupapa Māori frameworks can guide ethical AI integration in health
2. What wāhine Māori and clinician insights reveal about AI’s potential and risk
3. Why Māori-led co-design is essential to transforming cancer care pathways