The 2025 World Water Week conference commenced on August 24 with a session focused on the application of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants expressed on social media that AI is an excellent tool to complement human efforts.
Particularly for those directly involved with issues concerning glaciers, oceans, lakes, rivers, and seas—all of which are interconnected by water.
As a leading conference on water-related topics, World Water Week also featured the first-ever panel focused on Indigenous voices in water management decision-making.
Among the participants was the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Research and Development, which presented calls to action emphasizing the profound connection Indigenous peoples have to water globally.
In the lead-up to World Water Week, Arizona State University News published an article highlighting the deep relationship that 22 tribal nations in Arizona have with water.
The article described how an Arizona State University laboratory is collaborating with Indigenous scholars and tribes to create interactive water exhibits that showcase tribal water rights, history, and spiritual connections.
These projects aim to blend cultural knowledge with technology and inspire education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that is rooted in tradition.
The ASU News report noted that many tribes are often excluded from relevant discussions.
An assistant professor in the American Indian Studies program at Arizona State University shared her efforts to address this issue in the Relate Lab.
Additionally, eight Indigenous scholars are partnering with Arizona State University’s Arizona Water Innovation Initiative and its WaterSIMmersive project to develop water-related exhibits for rural communities throughout Arizona.
This initiative is supported by Impact Water – Arizona, a key component of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, along with funding from a Herberger Institute Research-Building Investment grant and a National Science Foundation supplemental award.
The Indigenous Water Stories Research Cohort is working alongside tribes such as the White Mountain Apache Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, and the Navajo Nation to share the stories and histories of their water sources.
Their place-based exhibits focus on the tribes’ water situations, goals, and interests related to water, while taking into account reflections on their water rights and traditions.
The exhibits integrate spiritual connections, holistic learning, language, and cultural revitalization with technology, making them more interactive for visitors.
Examples include an AI-powered water chatbot and a virtual reality game. The AI chatbot will be available at each exhibit location to answer water-related questions from patrons.
Gilberto Lopez and Francisco Lara-Valencia from the School of Transborder Studies, along with JoAnna Reyes from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, led the exhibition.
Missed the live session? Watch the recording of our first-ever High Level Panel focused on Indigenous voices.
Watch now: Indigenous Peoples at the heart of decision-making, lessons for water
🔗 https://t.co/rAekF2Mxct#WWWeek #WorldWaterWeek pic.twitter.com/1nYRsum2KK— World Water Week (@siwi_www) August 27, 2025
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