Caribbean’s AI ambitions face a data-sharing problem

THE Caribbean’s fragmented approach to data-sharing could undermine the region’s ability to develop and use artificial intelligence (AI), with experts warning that limited access to data could constrain its participation in the AI economy. The issue was highlighted at the Caribbean Development Bank’s inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space 2026, during the plenary “AI, Data, and Power: Shaping the Future of Evaluation in the Caribbean”.

While the Caribbean has significant amounts of data, experts say the region has a culture of keeping information within individual countries and organisations rather than sharing it more widely. Craig Ramlal, executive director of the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, said this needs to change.

“We confuse what data privacy is and what it should be used for,” Ramlal said.