The Present and (Potential) Future of AI in Jamaica

Broader interest in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is one of the defining trends of the global business landscape in 2023. From an innovation perspective, the rise of tools such as ChatGPT and its subsequent integration into Microsoft search engine is offering a new level of resources for business and users alike.

In the arms race to develop the most advanced AI system, leading companies are relying on educating, attracting and retaining the best possible human talent. Companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft focus on offering a unique and compelling value proposition that includes education as a key component. National governments are also in dispute to become the most desirable jurisdiction for AI developments.

In the Caribbean, Jamaica is taking important steps to develop a workforce suitable for the technological requirements of the next few years.

This is no surprise. One of Jamaica’s main industries, business process outsourcing (BPO), has been experimenting with AI adoption for years. Now, as this technology becomes more relevant, Jamaica will have to provide the right workforce in order to remain competitive.

Ongoing Efforts

One of the main advantages of Jamaica’s higher-education system is its connection with private sector players. IT programs in Jamaican universities in the past have maintained links to various industries such as BPO and finance, which allowed a direct pipeline of talent between academia and industry.

Universities such as the University of Technology, the University of the West Indies and the University of the Commonwealth have STEM programs that recently have been prioritizing areas such as cybersecurity, AI and virtual reality.

Higher education and training institutions in Jamaica are also focusing on short-term certificate programs that allow trainees to rapidly obtain the knowledge and resources needed to remain competitive in the labor market.

At the same time, private companies like the AI startup StarAppleAI are advancing individual efforts to support AI education. 

The government of Jamaica is adding efforts to advance STEM education, building STEM schools in different geographies of the country to encourage training in this area. These efforts provide a robust platform for improving Jamaica’s competitive advantage.

A Global Sprint

As adoption of AI and other cutting edge technologies increases, the needs of any company become more sophisticated, which requires workers with stronger capabilities. However, companies keep reporting a widening skill gap. Qualified workers in this space are hard to find and even more difficult to retain amid massive competition.

The cities with the largest pool of AI talent are mostly in North America, Europe, China and India. As demand for the democratization of AI talent grows, there is a real opportunity for smaller jurisdictions such as Jamaica to irrupt into this map.

Companies focused on AI development are now more interested in the diversity component of their operations as it has such a profound impact on the product itself. By increasing the number of qualified workers, Jamaica can position itself as a hub for companies trying to widen their perspective. Jamaica has some work to do, though, at an educational and policy level.

Other countries, such as China, have released plans for AI national strategies. China has the goal of becoming one of the world’s AI leaders by 2030. France is proposing a US$500 million fund to support AI progress. Countries like Israel are home for vibrant AI ecosystems that draw significant talent and financial resources.

The United Arab Emirates has a Minister of Artificial Intelligence and a university solely dedicated to AI studies, which demonstrates that in this issue policy and education complement each other.  In the US, legislators are considering actions to boost the country’s regulatory landscape and talent development efforts. Even the United Nations set up a multistakeholder advisory body on artificial intelligence.

Moving Forward

These government-driven efforts internationally prove how so many different actors are looking at this issue as a strategic one. Jamaica is an already competitive location for various industries, so the country could take its advantages and the already-existing STEM training options to the next level without much friction.

A significant portion of businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean are also increasing their AI adoption. This expands the need for qualified talent in the region. Increasing investment in AI training and other cutting edge technology training capabilities could produce immediate results for Jamaica.

The journey for Jamaica as a provider of tech talent also goes through marketing. The country should be able to promote itself as a competitive source of upskilled talent, an area in which advances are already being made by the Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ)as well as the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro).

Jamaica has experience branding itself to attract new industries. A couple of decades back, the island was known mostly as a tourism spot, but it quickly became a rising star in the nearshore BPO sector. This is a testament of the country’s innovative capabilities.