News
Pioneering Artificial Intelligence Policy in the Caribbean
On 14 April 2021, the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean and the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica organized three consultation workshops with the aim of developing the Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Policy Roadmap.
The outputs of the workshop discussions will guide governments in Caribbean Small Island Developing States in adopting AI ethical policies in their societies.
The current working document of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Roadmap will also incorporate the results of discussions at the two-day online forum on AI, "" which was held on 18-19 February under the auspices of the . The forum also highlighted the various challenges in the use of AI in regional and national contexts and the echoed need to draft AI policies for its ethical design and use from various stakeholders.
As the AI policy Roadmap seeks to explore opportunities for AI in the Caribbean SIDS, the consultation workshops, facilitated by Erica Simmons, Executive Director for Jamaica's first 4th Industrial Revolution Technology R&D Centre at the Caribbean Maritime University in Kingston, Jamaica, hosted three different relevant groups of stakeholders, including (1) the public sector, policy makers and technical experts; (2) the private sector; and (3) academia, civil society and youth to discuss the draft AI Policy Roadmap document.
The first workshop assessed perspectives on what AI means for the Caribbean, based on the views of policy makers and technical experts, including government representatives. The session discussed the six principles of the Caribbean Ai policy Roadmap: Resilience, Governance, Transformation, Upskilling, Conservation and Sustainability.
While resilience must include disaster risk reduction, a critical dimension for the Caribbean regional context, the discussions also strongly advocated for a digital transformation of the public sector. Public and private partnerships should be strengthened for the rapid and efficient digitization of public infrastructure in the Caribbean. The principle of upskilling includes innovations in the implementation of AI in all sectors, as well as targeted initiatives to include underrepresented groups such as youth and persons with disabilities. In addition, new AI-based industries should be strengthened and incentives for AI research and development in academia should be created.
The second workshop session considered the impact of AI on a broad cross-section of industries, including the future of work, hiring practices, recognition of skills and experience versus certifications, attitudes towards less formal/traditional approaches to education.
The third session explored the need for research, data collection and AI assessments in the Caribbean. It also shed light on initiatives that need to be promoted in the region, including specific data related to women, youth, persons with disabilities for education policy reforms.
