Computational technologies that process information, learn, design, and problem solve are poised to transform many aspects of life, including how we discover, educate, remember, make decisions, and even express ourselves. In the 1950s, scientists such as Marvin Minsky and Alan Turing began publishing papers that described intelligent machines. Soon after that, the term "artificial intelligence" (AI) emerged. Today, AI refers to solutions demonstrating new and profound capabilities, sparking optimism for the role this technology might play in reshaping and elevating society. Artificial intelligence has already taken hold in many industries ranging from education to energy management, law enforcement, medicine, and national defense. Achieving an equitable AI future that benefits communities across society will require broad participation. Institutions of higher education, especially tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), can bring critical support by engaging in this process, helping ensure that AI technologies are developed to address the priorities and protect the interests of the communities they serve. With an ever-growing presence of artificial intelligence technologies, shaping and advancing AI responsibly is not a task for computer scientists and engineers alone. It will require participation from the public and the involvement of experts from the humanities, economics, the social sciences, and many other non-engineering domains. Societies are dynamic, living systems that continually change and adapt through the exploration and diffusion of new ideas, practices, and technologies. The experience of American Indian tribes since settler-colonist contact has been one of transformation and extreme disruption, including the tragic loss of languages, traditional knowledge, and lifeways. However, all tribes existing today have proven resilient and resourceful, continuing to respond to new existential challenges. AI technologies, when properly designed and managed, can provide tools and resources that strengthen tribal resilience and further the sustainability goals of tribal nations and communities. Without active tribal participation in AI development, these technologies could instead bring new disruptive challenges. This article contributes to a growing conversation among organizations and individuals engaged in furthering sustainable tribal nations, focusing on potential opportunities and risks of AI development for tribal communities.