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Michelle Sylvestre

  • Scholar 2025
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AI ethics, Indigenous studies, gender studies, critical theory, new media and art
University of Lethbridge
Michelle Sylvestre (she/her) BFA (Art, 2017), MFA (New Media, 2021), is an interdisciplinary artist and PhD student in the Cultural, Social, and Political Thought program at the University of Lethbridge, situated on Treaty 7 Territory in Alberta. Her MFA awards include SSHRC, Queen Elizabeth II Graduate, and Dean’s Tuition Scholarships for research excellence.
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Research Project

Intersecting Biases: Exploring Gender and Indigenous Representation in Artificial Intelligence to Promote Equity and Inclusion for Historically Underrepresented Communities in Canada

 

Biography

Michelle Sylvestre (she/her) BFA (Art, 2017), MFA (New Media, 2021), is an interdisciplinary artist and PhD student in the Cultural, Social, and Political Thought program at the University of Lethbridge, situated on Treaty 7 Territory in Alberta. Her MFA awards include SSHRC, Queen Elizabeth II Graduate, and Dean’s Tuition Scholarships for research excellence. 

Her doctoral research investigates systemic gender and Indigenous biases in artificial intelligence (AI). Sylvestre uses research-creation to combine critical inquiry with artistic practice to address complex sociocultural issues, to promote equity and inclusion in technological development. 

Sylvestre co-led the multidisciplinary conference and workshop 'AI: Worlding and Wilding,' guiding graduate and undergraduate students in research-creation. This initiative fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and critical engagement, influencing participants' academic and creative work. She will begin a new iteration of these workshops for her PhD research-creation work and as a member of the University of Lethbridge Abundance Intelligence Niitsitapi Pod. 

As an exhibition and public art artist, Sylvestre explores themes of identity and community through technology, sculpture, and performance. She views this scholarship as a transformative opportunity to connect with changemakers, advance her interdisciplinary research, and contribute to addressing pressing global challenges, particularly in collaboratively building more inclusive AI frameworks.