Certified Drone Operations. Indigenous Business.
Who We Are
AI First Nations is an Aboriginal-owned drone operations and consulting business, available nationally across Australia.
Founded by John Fejo, a CASA-certified Remote Pilot and ReOC holder, we deliver professional aerial data, inspection, and compliance consulting to ports, infrastructure operators, mining companies, and government agencies.
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Whether you need drone operations, compliance consulting, or want to understand how engaging an Indigenous supplier meets your obligations—get in touch.
First Nations Perspective
At AI First Nations, drone technology and Traditional Ecological Knowledge work together. John Fejo brings a First Nations understanding of country to every environmental monitoring engagement — reading the landscape, the water, and the wildlife in ways that data alone cannot.
Mangroves are among the most important ecosystems on earth — nurseries for juvenile marine life, carbon sinks more powerful than any land-based forest, and natural filtration systems through the work of mangrove crabs and sacrificial leaf matter filtering land runoff back to clean water.
These same indicators inform shark behaviour patterns. Bronze whalers in a bay signal healthy saltwater — no freshwater intrusion, a balanced ecosystem. Murky water from creek outflows after rain pushes bait fish into new areas, drawing predators behind them. Morning and evening movements of bull sharks and great whites reflect apex predator behaviour — boundary-setting, not aggression.
This knowledge informed AI First Nations' engagement with the SLSS Shark Drone Program on Sydney's Northern Beaches — combining aerial surveillance with First Nations ecological intelligence to better understand and communicate marine risk to the public.
Clients & Partners
KJR (Dr Kelvin Ross) — AI systems governance and technology partner. KJR develops AI-driven detection systems for rock art, species identification, flora and fauna monitoring, marine debris, security surveillance, and Age Assurance Technology Trials (AATT). AI First Nations provides the certified drone operations platform and First Nations ecological knowledge that powers KJR's field data collection.
Salty Monkeys (Dennis Fay) — Indigenous-owned outdoor and dive brand operating across the Torres Strait. AI First Nations provided drone operations support for the Marine Debris Task Force — surveying coastlines and mapping affected areas using aerial technology to support debris removal and environmental action.
Goondoi Rangers (Innisfail, Far North Queensland) — Indigenous ranger group working on country across cassowary habitat, seagrass monitoring, Great Barrier Reef conservation, water mapping, and cultural heritage documentation. John Fejo served as Senior Ranger Coordinator and provided drone operations support for pond apple invasive species control and cultural heritage site monitoring.