Caribbean Countries Encouraged to Pursue Coordinated Approach to Governance of AI

Caribbean countries are encouraged to pursue a coordinated approach to the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as the technology increasingly influences economies, public institutions and the lives of citizens across the region.

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, said greater regional coordination will strengthen the Caribbean’s ability to influence decisions surrounding AI, while safeguarding the interests of its citizens.

“Even though we are small individually but collectively as a region, as CARICOM, as Latin America and the Caribbean, we can stake our claim at the table and ensure that the regulations that are being developed, the systems that are being developed, take into consideration what are pertinent issues to us as a region,” he said.

Dr. Wheatley was addressing a plenary session on issues surrounding AI, using a regional framework, during day two of the 48th Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region, on September 1, at Moon Palace Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

The Minister said a key recommendation of the Caribbean AI Task Force, which published its final report in July, is the harmonisation of AI policies across the region.

He said this would facilitate coordinated action among governments, regional institutions and other stakeholders to responsibly adopt, govern and benefit from the technology.

“A shared CARICOM framework is needed that is anchored in the UNESCO’s recommendation on the ethics of AI adopted by all member States within the region,” the Minister argued.
He said that regional cooperation is particularly important in areas such as data protection, infrastructure and ensuring that Caribbean languages and dialects are adequately represented in AI systems.

“Our data is not simply something to be protected. It is an intrinsic asset that must be preserved and must be guarded,” Dr. Wheatley emphasised.
He noted that many existing speech systems do not adequately recognise Caribbean English and Creole languages, underscoring the importance of developing AI systems that reflect the region’s linguistic and cultural realities.

The Minister said Caribbean countries must also ensure that they have a meaningful voice in international discussions on AI governance.

“One coordinated CARICOM position carries a good deal more than 15 separate individual States speaking in such a forum,” he said.

For her part, Director General of ParlAmericas, Alicia Todd, supported the call for a collective approach, noting that much of the technology being adopted by Caribbean countries is developed outside the region.

She said this makes it critical for Caribbean interests and perspectives to be represented in discussions surrounding the development, deployment and governance of AI.

Ms. Todd underscored that the issue extends beyond whether Caribbean citizens can access AI technologies.

“The digital divide or the AI divide isn’t about access to these technologies. We’re all getting access to these technologies. It’s about influence on how these technologies are going to be developed, deployed and governed,” Ms. Todd said.

She emphasised that Parliaments have an important role to play in the process, particularly in protecting citizens’ rights while enabling innovation.

Ms. Todd identified data protection and privacy, transparency, accountability, gender equality, discrimination and inclusion among the areas requiring careful consideration as AI becomes more deeply integrated into society.

She said Parliaments also have an opportunity to use AI to strengthen their own operations but cautioned that appropriate foundations must first be established.

“Strong digital infrastructure, cybersecurity protection, the institutional capacity, really investing in your staff to understand how to use these tools, and I think critically, creating localised solutions in the Caribbean,” she said.

Ms. Todd also emphasised that these solutions should respond to the specific requirements of Caribbean Parliaments, rather than relying solely on systems developed for other jurisdictions.

She said work is already under way to support the development of AI tools trained on Caribbean parliamentary data, including the region’s languages, dialects and accents.

“The question is not whether AI will shape our society, it’s how parliaments will shape how AI serves people, institutions, and our democratic values,” Ms. Todd said.