Technology alone will not transform the Caribbean region, and neither is it a silver bullet. What Caribbean countries must do is to think more strategically about their digital transformation: key inputs and strategies ought to be deployed, whilst also being intentional and managing the impact on society. With Dr Karen Abrams, the Co-Founder of STEMGuyana and newspaper columnist, we discuss, among other things, why STEM should be among the national developmental priorities; reforms she would recommend to Caribbean policymakers to better prepare children for the jobs of the future; how Caribbean parents can better prepare their children for an AI-enabled future; and why economic growth alone does not necessarily create competition or innovation.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be currently dominating discussions across the Caribbean region, but AI is only one part of a much broader conversation about the region’s digital future. As governments, businesses and educational institutions accelerate their digital transformation efforts, several important issues deserve far greater attention if our countries are to realise the full benefits of emerging technologies.

One of those issues is AI literacy. Although digital literacy has long been recognised as essential, AI literacy is rapidly becoming equally important. It is no longer sufficient for people to know how to use digital devices or online services. At the same time, technology should not be viewed as a substitute for strong educational systems. Across the region, many countries continue to grapple with uneven educational outcomes, teacher shortages, limited access to digital resources, and persistent connectivity challenges.

The changing nature of work is another issue demanding attention. AI is already reshaping occupations across virtually every sector, from finance and healthcare to tourism, media and public administration.

Another recurring challenge is ensuring that Caribbean countries become creators, not merely consumers, of digital technologies. Though we know that the region has immense talent, many of its brightest innovators seek opportunities elsewhere, often in the Global North, due to limited funding, weak commercialisation pathways and relatively small domestic markets.

These issue just a few that our guest raises and discusses in n her regular columns for Kaieteur News in Guyana. She consistently argues that the real conversation should be about people, education and national preparedness—not just technology.

 

Introducing our guest

Dr Karen Abrams

Dr. Karen Abrams is a technology executive, educator, entrepreneur, and youth advocate whose career has spanned more than two decades across corporate America, academia, and the non-profit sector. She spent more than a decade in the technology industry in corporate America, holding leadership positions in operations, fraud management, network abuse, project management, application development, and technology integration. During this time, she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of technology and the opportunities it creates for individuals and nations.

Karen is the Founder and Director of STEMGuyana, one of Guyana’s leading technology education organizations, which has introduced thousands of young people to coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Through STEMGuyana and its programs, she has worked tirelessly to ensure that children from every region and background have access to world-class technology education and the skills needed to thrive in the digital economy.

She is also the founder of Pathway Online Academy, an AI-powered educational platform designed to help students strengthen their academic skills and prepare for the future of work. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, education, and research, with a particular focus on using innovation to solve local challenges and create opportunities for underserved communities.

Karen recently completed her Doctor of Education degree at the University of Florida. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Howard University.

A passionate believer in the potential of young people, Karen encourages girls and young women to pursue ambitious dreams in science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She believes that talent is universal, but opportunity is not, and has dedicated her life’s work to ensuring that more young people, especially girls, have the confidence, skills, and support needed to shape the future and lead meaningful change in Guyana and beyond.

 

Insights into our conversation

Dr Karen Abrams has been on my radar for several months, thanks to her articles in Kaieteur News, which were provocative as they challenged us, both her fellow Guyanese and the Caribbean region as a whole, to think more critically about technology, specifically how we are currently leveraging it, how we should be leveraging it, and its impact on our society. Although it could be argued that her articles are generally directed at policymakers, they can also help the ordinary citizen better appreciate the underlying issues, their urgency, and, in turn, become more discerning and informed moving forward.

To that end, Karen brought her A-game for this conversation. We covered a broad range of topics, as per the list of questions below. More importantly, she was candid in her analysis of Guyana, where she is based, which was extremely relevant to virtually all other Caribbean countries.

  1. How did you become a regular contributor to Kaieteur News? And what are you hoping to achieve through your articles?
  2. You are a Co-Founder of STEMGuyana, and so have spent many years promoting STEM education in Guyana. Looking back, what originally convinced you that technology education would become one of the country’s most important development priorities?
  3. You ask whether we are preparing children for the jobs of 2035 or the jobs of 1985. If you were advising Caribbean education ministers today, what three reforms would you prioritise?
  4. Looking beyond schools, how should Caribbean parents think differently about preparing their children for an AI-enabled future?
  5. In one of your recent columns, you argue that there is something machines cannot copy. What uniquely human qualities do you believe will become even more valuable as AI advances?
  6. One of your themes is that digital transformation cannot compensate for weak educational foundations. How should Caribbean governments balance investments in AI with investments in basic education?
  7. You have written that economic growth alone does not necessarily create competition or innovation. Why is that, and what lessons should the wider Caribbean learn?

 

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Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  K Abrams;  Freepik (Magnific);  rawpixel.com (Magnific); Freepik (Magnific)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez