Artificial intelligence has arrived in the Caribbean workplace, and Barbadian organisations must quickly adjust how they train, recruit and manage staff if they are to remain competitive over the next decade. according to human resource leaders, launching a major industry conference.

As the Human Resource Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB) launched its People Development Conference slated for mid-October, president Tisha Peters said this year’s summit — themed Workforce 2030: Ready or Not — will focus on navigating the rapid rise of automation and digital change.

Human resource departments across the island are no longer limited to back-office administration such as payroll and compliance; they now operate in an environment shaped by global remote recruitment, domestic brain drain, and fast-moving technological change, Peters said.