The recent warning by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) about the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workforce is important. However, if the institute is to fully fulfil its mandate as the country’s principal strategic planning body, it must move beyond identifying the threat of job displacement and begin articulating a coherent national response to the AI era.

Artificial intelligence is not merely another technological upgrade; it is reshaping the meaning of work, expertise, productivity, and institutional value.

For decades, many assumed automation would mainly threaten repetitive manual labour. The PIOJ now correctly acknowledges that AI increasingly extends into cognitive professions once considered secure, including clerical administration, accounting, legal drafting, actuarial analysis, customer service, education, and even aspects of healthcare.