New Sealaska partnership looks to develop AI-powered Tlingit language translator
Published 4:30 am Thursday, May 21, 2026
A Sitka man is working with Juneau-based Sealaska to develop an AI-powered Tlingit language translator.
David Aragon recently announced a partnership with Sealaska to develop an AI-powered Tlingit language translator, a tool designed to make the Tlingit language more accessible to learners, researchers, and community members at a time when language preservation has never been more urgent.
“Language is identity,” Aragon said. “When a language disappears, an entire way of seeing the world disappears with it. I grew up around the Tlingit people. That culture shaped me. When I realized I had the tools to help preserve it, I knew I had to try.”
Life has taken Aragon on a military career spanning two continents and a film career spanning independent productions to Marvel blockbusters. But now he’s coming back to the Tlingit language with a new AI tool.
He was born and raised in Sitka and grew up surrounded by the Tlingit culture that defines Southeast Alaska. He also served on active duty in Juneau.
After graduating, Aragon enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served for 10 years before earning his commission as an officer. In the course of a decade, he held positions including communications officer, education officer, Homeland Security officer and intelligence analyst before finishing his military career as deputy director of intelligence support for the Pacific area, which is responsible for intelligence operations covering 61 percent of the world’s population.
“The Coast Guard gave me everything,” Aragon said. “Discipline, purpose, the ability to operate under pressure and make decisions with incomplete information. I didn’t know it at the time, but all of that would feed directly into what I’m building now.”
He then moved into the film industry, attending the Georgia Film Academy, and worked on products such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Haunted Mansion, and The Family Plan.
However, the writers’ strike and the instability of the industry led him to artificial intelligence.
Hyper-Contextual Authority Engine was born, with Aragon as the founder and chief intelligence officer.
It’s a private intelligence platform that builds personalized AI constructs for individuals and organizations. Each construct is built around a single operator, learning their goals, tracking their behavioral patterns across sessions, and providing intelligence tailored entirely to their life and mission.
“I saw what was happening in AI and I knew there was something missing,” he said. “Every tool was generic. Built for everyone, which means built for no one. I wanted to build something that actually knew a person – their priorities, their patterns, their history. Something that worked for one human being the way a world-class advisor would.”
The Tlingit translator, Aragon said, grew naturally out of that same philosophy.
“Sealaska Heritage Institute is an incredible organization,” Aragon said. “They understand the stakes. This isn’t a novelty project. This is about giving the Tlingit language a fighting chance in a digital world.”
The translator is currently in the testing phase, with Aragon actively seeking volunteer testers such as Tlingit speakers, learners, cultural advocates, educators and anyone with a connection to the language or a passion for its preservation. No technical experience is required, Aragon said.
