Act Now! UNESCO AI policy roadmap pushes Caribbean to wake up, make laws

Report calls for AI-specific regulation, stronger data protection, education reform, cultural safeguards and coordinated government action

The Caribbean is being urged to move quickly from discussion to action on Artificial Intelligence, as a major UNESCO policy roadmap warns that the region risks job displacement, privacy violations, deeper inequality and the erosion of its cultural and intellectual property if governments fail to prepare.

The UNESCO Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Policy Roadmap sets out a broad course of action for Caribbean Small Island Developing States, arguing that AI can help transform health services, agriculture, tourism, finance, law, education, energy and governance. At the same time, the report warns that AI adoption without regulation and coordinated planning could expose Caribbean societies to algorithmic bias, cybercrime, misinformation, surveillance and copyright violations.

The roadmap is based on years of consultations and research involving more than 1,000 individuals and institutions across 20 Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean Small Island Developing States. Government, the private sector, academia, NGOs and civil society were engaged, including women, youth and persons with disabilities.

Its recommendations are built around four pillars: Culture and Creativity, Governance and Transformation, Upskilling and Education, and Resiliency and Sustainability.

Survey highlights major policy void

A survey of 85 stakeholders from 17 islands and eight regional and United States-based organizations exposed significant gaps in AI readiness.

The findings showed that 91 percent were unfamiliar with any existing regional AI-related regulations or policies, while 98 percent said more education and public awareness about AI are needed across the Caribbean.

At the same time, 79 percent believe AI can bring significant opportunities to the region, while 68 percent said the Caribbean does not have sufficient legal frameworks to govern its use.

The roadmap therefore calls for national and regional AI strategies, updated data protection laws, AI-specific regulations, ethical guidelines and a human-centered, multi-stakeholder approach to AI development.

Among its clearest next steps are ministerial adoption of the UNESCO Caribbean AI Roadmap and the convening of regional ministerial decision-makers, together with the CARICOM Secretariat, to review the framework and move toward implementation.

New laws and oversight systems recommended

UNESCO is urging governments to develop comprehensive national AI strategies that clearly define how the technology will be integrated into national development.

These policies should be regularly reviewed as AI evolves and should be developed through public consultations, forums, steering committees and working groups.

Data protection is identified as a major priority.

The roadmap recommends comprehensive laws governing the collection, processing, storage and use of personal data by AI systems. Existing privacy laws should be updated to specifically address AI-related risks.

The report also calls for legal protection for people affected by AI decisions. This could include the right to appeal decisions made or influenced by AI, rules on liability and requirements to identify AI-generated content.

For high-risk AI systems, developers could also be required to provide safety testing results and other information to a government or regulatory authority before public deployment.

UNESCO further recommends the establishment of AI oversight mechanisms, including the possible creation of an AI Ethics Commission or similar regulatory body.

Independent audits, mandatory impact assessments and AI-specific government procurement standards are also proposed, particularly where AI is used in criminal justice, health services, education and other sensitive areas.

The roadmap also recommends an annual AI progress report to publicly track regional implementation.

Caribbean culture and intellectual property at risk

A major part of the report focuses on the Caribbean's cultural and creative industries.

UNESCO warns that generative AI systems can reproduce art, music, literature and film, creating serious questions around ownership, consent and compensation.

The roadmap identifies three central copyright concerns: consent, credit and compensation.

For a region whose music, language, storytelling and cultural expressions have international value, UNESCO says urgent action is needed.

Governments are encouraged to revise intellectual property laws to address AI-generated and AI-assisted content while ensuring Caribbean creators retain control over their work.

The roadmap also recommends cultural preservation and digitization initiatives, including the creation of cultural data banks and regional data storage systems.

National data preservation programs could involve youth, women and persons with disabilities in documenting and cataloguing Caribbean cultural, physical and social information.

The report argues that Caribbean culture should not simply be absorbed into global AI systems without ownership, documentation or economic benefit returning to the region.

Education systems must prepare for changing jobs

The roadmap also warns that AI integration and automation could lead to job losses, particularly in service-based Caribbean economies.

UNESCO recommends immediate expansion of AI education and digital skills training across all levels of society.

AI should be incorporated into regional and national education systems, with institutions such as the Caribbean Examinations Council, the University of the West Indies and other tertiary institutions playing a central role.

Future-skills courses, industry internships and specialized training should also create more opportunities for women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The report argues that governments and businesses also need stronger AI knowledge so they can use the technology responsibly and understand the risks attached to systems they purchase or deploy.

Regional AI research and innovation capacity needed

Rather than depending entirely on technology developed overseas, UNESCO calls on the Caribbean to build its own AI research and innovation capacity.

The roadmap proposes regional AI research resources, innovation hubs and testing environments where new systems can be evaluated before full deployment.

Grants should support AI research in areas important to the Caribbean, including health services, agriculture and climate change.

AI competitions, hackathons and innovation challenges are also recommended to encourage students and professionals to develop practical Caribbean solutions.

Governments are advised to create AI innovation funds and use tax incentives, subsidies, grants and loans to support research and local development.

The region should also attract engineering and research and development companies, establish advanced testing and prototyping services and build an exportable digital services industry.

Infrastructure and cybersecurity are fundamental

The roadmap makes clear that AI policy will fail without reliable digital infrastructure.

High-speed internet, secure cloud services, data storage facilities and advanced computing resources are identified as critical requirements.

The report recommends collective Caribbean negotiations to secure better rates for cloud services and improve access to online educational and digital resources.

Cybersecurity systems also need to be strengthened to protect government information, private databases, trade secrets and critical infrastructure.

UNESCO argues that regional collaboration will allow Caribbean countries to pool resources, share expertise and reduce the cost of building systems that smaller states may struggle to develop independently.

AI could improve government, but human oversight is essential

The roadmap identifies several possible uses of AI in public administration.

AI-driven analytics could improve policymaking and resource allocation. Digital identity systems could help citizens access government services, while AI-powered chatbots could assist with public inquiries and administrative processes.

However, UNESCO repeatedly cautions that government use of AI carries significant risks.

AI systems used in policing, surveillance, housing, public aid and justice could reproduce existing biases and discriminate against vulnerable groups.

The report therefore recommends clear limits around AI decision-making, strong accountability rules, human oversight and manual override systems.

Citizens should not be left without a way to challenge decisions made by automated systems.

Climate resilience identified as priority area

For the Caribbean, UNESCO sees major opportunities to use AI in climate change adaptation, disaster response, environmental monitoring and food security.

AI could assist with weather analysis, sea-level monitoring, coastal vulnerability assessments and disaster warning systems.

Public-private partnerships are recommended in disaster management, food security and public health.

At the same time, the roadmap warns that large AI systems consume significant energy and computing resources. Caribbean AI strategies must therefore consider the environmental cost of the technology and ensure adoption aligns with sustainability goals.

The immediate next step is political action

The roadmap's most direct recommendations begin with government leadership.

Countries are urged to raise awareness of UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, use UNESCO's readiness and ethical impact assessment tools and formally adopt the Caribbean AI Roadmap at ministerial level.

Regional ministers should then meet with the CARICOM Secretariat to determine how the framework will be implemented.

From there, the work becomes practical: national AI strategies, updated data protection laws, regulatory bodies, independent audits, education reform, workforce training and investment in digital infrastructure.

The roadmap rejects fragmented AI adoption in which individual ministries, companies or institutions introduce systems without national policies or oversight.

Its central message is that AI is already reshaping how Caribbean people work, learn, create and interact with institutions.

The question now is whether Caribbean governments will deliberately shape how the technology enters their societies or allow systems developed elsewhere to determine the region's future.

UNESCO is calling for coordinated regulation, investment in people and a distinctly Caribbean approach to AI, one rooted in human rights, cultural identity, economic resilience and regional cooperation.

‍