AI is reshaping economies, industries and societies. However, the pivotal question the Caribbean region must answer is whether we are truly prepared to harness AI’s potential while managing the challenges it brings. In this podcast episode, we are joined by Rodney Taylor, Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, and Dr Craig Ramlal, Executive Director of the AI Innovation Centre, to discuss the 1st Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Forum and what AI readiness means for the region. Some of the topics covered include: the biggest barriers preventing wider AI adoption across the Caribbean; how the region can avoid increasing digital inequalities as AI adoption accelerates; and what investments are most urgently needed to support the Caribbean’s AI transition.

 

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

As we are all aware, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a technology of the future. It is already reshaping industries, governments and societies around the world, from automating routine tasks and accelerating scientific research to improving customer service and supporting healthcare. In a nutshell, AI is becoming an increasingly important driver of economic growth and innovation.

For the Caribbean region, the conversation on AI must go beyond the excitement surrounding the various tools and applications. The more pressing question is whether the region is prepared for the transition AI is bringing, and, more so, how it can ensure that AI contributes meaningfully to sustainable development, economic competitiveness, and improved quality of life. These issues will be at the heart of the 1st Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Forum, hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), on 23 and 24 July 2026. The event represents an important milestone for the region, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs and educators to explore how Caribbean countries can harness AI responsibly and strategically.

 

However, beyond policymaking, we also need to explore the region’s AI transition, which is much more than adopting new technologies. It requires countries to invest in digital infrastructure, modernise education systems, strengthen research and innovation ecosystems, develop appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks, and build a workforce equipped with the skills needed for an AI-enabled economy. Further, careful consideration must be given to issues such as data governance, cybersecurity, privacy, ethics and digital inclusion, all of which ought to underpin our transition to digital and AI-driven societies.

In this podcast episode, we discuss the upcoming AI Caribbean AI Forum along with the state of AI readiness across the region, and what governments, businesses, educational institutions and citizens can do to prepare for the emerging AI era.

 

Introducing our guests

Secretary General Rodney Taylor

Rodney Taylor is the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). Prior to this appointment, he held senior positions in the Government of Barbados, serving as the Chief Digital Technology Officer at Barbados’ Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology (MIST), where he led the nation’s digital transformation, focusing on enhancing public sector service delivery through strategic innovation, science, and SMART technology applications. Additionally, he served as the Head of the Information Systems Unit at Barbados’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, where he oversaw operations at both local and overseas missions.

With over 30 years of professional experience in the Public Sector, Secretary-General Taylor currently supports collaboration amongst Caribbean Governments and other ICT Stakeholders in shaping regional ICT policies and in the implementation of national digital transformation strategies. He currently chairs the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Informal Expert Group for the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum 2026 (IEG-WTPF).  He is also a member of the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience, which was established by the ITU in partnership with the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in November 2024.

Dr. Craig Ramlal is the Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre and the Head of the Control Systems Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. In 2023, the United Nations recognised him as a preeminent AI leader, appointing him to the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. The body’s recommendations on governing AI for humanity formed Objective 5 of the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted by member states in September 2024 during the 79th UN General Assembly, and implemented in August 2025 during the 80th UN General Assembly.

He currently serves as the Chair of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s (CTU) Caribbean Taskforce on AI, charged with writing harmonized AI policies, recommendations and guidelines for the Caribbean nations, a lead on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Global Initiative on the Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems 2.0, a member of the CARICOM’s Security Strategy Steering Committee, as an advisor to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on regional AI education policy matters, a member of the eLAC’s Caribbean AI working group toward fulfilling the eLAC2026 Agenda and on the CARICOM-UNDP joint regional AI programme for the Caribbean 2026-2030.

Through the AIIC, he has established collaborative partnerships that have led to advancements across multiple fields, including the development of advanced robotics with Rutgers University; deep learning-based auto-diagnostics for asset management with Elering AS and Tallinn University of Technology; blockchain-based systems for water management with the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean; and ventilation systems developed in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Health, GoRTT and researchers from the University of Florida to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These initiatives have resulted in several implemented systems, as well as numerous technical reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference papers.

 

Insights into our conversation

If there is anything we should have appreciated about AI by now is the fact that it presents an incredible opportunity for the Caribbean countries and the region as a whole to address longstanding development challenges. Further, AI could support Caribbean entrepreneurs and researchers to develop innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), creating products and services with global relevance.

However, as was expressed during this conversation, the region must also guard against becoming merely a consumer of AI technologies developed elsewhere. It is thus crucial that we build the local expertise, encourage regional collaboration and invest in Caribbean-led innovation, both of which the CTU, the AIIC and The University of the West Indies can facilitate in various ways.

Below are key questions that guided the conversation with Craig and Secretary General Taylor.

  1. How did the partnership between the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the AI Innovation Centre come about, and what strengths does each organisation bring to this initiative?
  2. What gap or need does the Forum seek to address within the Caribbean ICT and innovation ecosystem? ‘
  3. Around the world, we are hearing about AI transformation. What does an AI transition mean in the Caribbean context?
  4. Where would you say the Caribbean currently sits on the AI adoption curve?
  5. What do you see as the biggest barriers preventing wider AI adoption across the Caribbean?
  6. Is the Caribbean at risk of becoming merely a consumer of AI technologies developed elsewhere?
  7. How can the region avoid increasing digital inequalities as AI adoption accelerates?
  8. What investments are most urgently needed to support the Caribbean’s AI transition?
  9. Finally, what message would you like to leave with those who are considering attending the 1st Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Forum?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

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:  CTU;  C Ramlal;  Magnific (Magnific);  Wikimedia Commons;  yanalya (Magnific)

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

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez