So, I’ve been caught sleeping — or less dramatically, caught by surprise. How did I not observe that Trinidad’s newly elected government, which took office on May 1, 2025, made creating the Caribbean’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence one of its early priorities? The Hon. Dominic Smith, who also serves as Minister of Public Administration, now carries this new mantle.
At first glance, the pairing makes perfect sense. Public Administration is about the implementation of government policies, the delivery of public services, and the management of state institutions. Artificial Intelligence could play a pivotal role here, bringing new levels of efficiency, predictive insight, and responsiveness. From digitising citizen services to optimising resource allocation, AI signals a recognition that technology is not just a tool but a catalyst for more effective governance.
A global trend reaches the region
This move also places Trinidad and Tobago in rare company globally. Only a handful of governments have created ministerial posts explicitly titled for Artificial Intelligence — including the United Arab Emirates (2017), the United Kingdom (2023), France (2024), Canada (2025), and now Trinidad & Tobago (2025). Albania has gone a step further, appointing Diella, an AI-based virtual cabinet minister, to oversee public procurement.
Each of these appointments signals that AI is not just a technical matter, but a strategic lever requiring ministerial weight, budgets, and cross-government coordination.
The Caribbean response
For the Caribbean, this marks both an opportunity and a challenge — one that the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) intends to meet head-on during its upcoming ICT Week 2025 in Jamaica (September 29 – October 3, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel), held under the theme, Driving Change: Connecting Futures.
High on the agenda will be the ratification of the work programme of the newly established CTU AI Task Force, designed to coordinate the development and governance of AI across the region. Its four objectives are:
Harmonising AI policies and regulatory frameworks across Caribbean countries to foster legal certainty and interoperability.
Building regional AI capacity and talent, with a special focus on youth, women, and traditionally underrepresented communities.
Promoting inclusive, ethical, and responsible AI to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Fostering cross-sector collaboration and innovation, bringing together governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society.
This shows the region is not waiting passively on global trends but beginning to set its own agenda for AI governance and deployment.
Building on global momentum
The task force builds on a wave of recent regional and international activity around AI. Notable among these are the Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Policy Roadmap developed by UNESCO, the AI for Good Global Summit convened by the International Telecommunication Union, and a roadmap for national AI adoption produced by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, which was presented at the University of the West Indies Five Islands AI Conference in July 2025.
The Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap, in particular, was crafted with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in mind, recognising both their vulnerabilities and their potential in the AI era. It seeks to help these nations harness AI responsibly to drive economic, social, and cultural progress, while anchoring its recommendations in UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2021).
Its four pillars are:
Culture & Creativity — Protect Caribbean identity, safeguard intellectual property, and explore AI in creative industries.
Governance & Transformation — Establish clear frameworks, assign oversight responsibilities, and ensure AI systems remain ethical and accountable.
Education & Upskilling — Build human capacity through education, reskilling, and training, especially for civil servants, youth, women, and underrepresented groups.
Resiliency & Sustainability — Ensure AI adoption is inclusive, rights-based, privacy-conscious, and environmentally sustainable, while strengthening cooperation across the region.
A Barbados perspective
On a national level, Barbados has an opportunity to answer the call of AI not merely by adopting ministerial titles, but by designating an AI ambassador within the Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology. This role would act as a specialised policy coordinator and subject matter envoy, serving as a bridge between the ministry’s existing IT functions, other government departments, the private sector, academia, and regional institutions, thus ensuring AI strategy is not siloed but integrated across society.
An AI ambassador positioned within the ministry could:
Coordinate Cross-Government Policy — Aligning other ministries, regulators, and agencies with national AI development goals while leveraging existing IT infrastructure and expertise.
Serve as Regional and International Envoy — Representing Barbados’ interests in the CTU AI Task Force, UNESCO initiatives, ITU forums, and other networks as the government’s designated AI subject matter expert.
Foster Innovation Ecosystems — Connecting startups, universities, and industries to turn research into tangible value, building on the ministry’s existing innovation mandate.
Promote Public Trust and Literacy — Leading national discussions on ethics, privacy, and responsible AI use while ensuring citizen engagement and understanding.
The outputs could be transformative: A national AI strategy aligned with the Data Protection Act; pilot projects like Jamaica’s Constable Smart, an AI-powered police assistant that frees officers for frontline duties; digital health applications to ease pressure on clinics; and targeted reskilling programmes to prepare the workforce for an AI-driven economy.
Most importantly, an AI ambassador would identify and champion “low-hanging fruit” projects that deliver the greatest impact with limited resources, building momentum for long-term transformation.
A call to action
Barbados stands at a crossroads. The appointment of a minister of AI in Trinidad and the launch of the CTU AI Task Force signal that the region is moving quickly to position itself in this new technological era. The question is whether Barbados will watch from the sidelines or step forward with its own distinctive model.
Creating an AI ambassador role offers a pragmatic yet visionary path. It avoids the bureaucracy of another ministry while ensuring national priorities are coordinated across sectors. By delivering quick wins, building trust, and forging partnerships, an AI ambassador could unlock real value from AI for Barbados while ensuring its use reflects Caribbean values and priorities.
The time to act is now. Barbados can either shape how AI transforms our institutions, economy, and society — or be shaped by forces outside our control. Choosing leadership today means ensuring that tomorrow’s AI future, which will happen whether we participate or not, carries a Caribbean imprint, rooted in our values, culture, and ambition.
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