AI Must Understand Us: Caribbean Nations Bring Local Priorities to Global Debate

UNESCO co-hosted the gathering with Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority and the International Centre for AI Research and Ethics, creating space for international cooperation and practical policy discussions.

An artificial intelligence system can answer questions from across the world and still struggle to recognise a Caribbean voice or explain the region's history accurately. That gap helped shape the concerns Caribbean representatives brought to UNESCO's fourth Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, where they called for technology that respects local identities, supports teachers and responds to people's everyday needs.

Held in Saudi Arabia from 14 to 17 September 2026, the forum brought together leaders, policymakers, experts and other stakeholders to examine progress since UNESCO adopted its 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. UNESCO co-hosted the gathering with Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority and the International Centre for AI Research and Ethics, creating space for international cooperation and practical policy discussions.

Making Caribbean Voices Count

Representatives from The Bahamas, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago contributed to discussions covering national AI readiness, public-sector skills, social inequalities and environmental sustainability. Their participation highlighted the importance of involving Caribbean societies in decisions about technologies that could influence education, public services and access to information.

Wayde A. Watson, Minister of State for Innovation and National Development of The Bahamas, raised concerns about how little Caribbean history, legal knowledge and spoken language appear in the material used to train leading AI models. He described this as an omission that can leave systems answering questions about Caribbean countries through outside perspectives, with citizens potentially unable to communicate effectively in their own voices.

Cultural representation also featured in a session on the social effects of AI, where a specialist from UNESCO's Caribbean office presented regional work on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The discussion addressed systems that fail to recognise Caribbean languages or reinforce stereotypes, placing cultural accuracy and protection from harm within the wider debate about responsible technology.

Keeping Teachers and Critical Thinking Central

Lavern V. King, Minister of State responsible for Education, Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Information in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, stressed that AI should strengthen students' ability to think critically. His message placed teachers at the centre of classroom decisions, describing AI as a tool that should support their work without taking over their role or removing the need for independent thought.

Building the expertise needed to make such choices was another part of the Caribbean's participation. AI Ethics Action Cohort members from Curaçao, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago received expert training in UNESCO's AI ethics tools and explored how these could be applied within their countries, connecting global principles with the practical demands facing local institutions.

Turning Ethical Principles Into National Action

UNESCO has developed a programme to strengthen national capabilities and regulatory frameworks, supported by two main tools, including its Readiness Assessment Methodology, known as RAM. Suriname began this assessment process a few weeks before the forum through a session involving more than 100 participants from several dozen institutions, following a path already undertaken by Antigua and Barbuda, Curaçao, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Suriname's Minister of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, Andrew Baasaron, described RAM as both a mirror and a window, helping countries understand their own position and learn from others. The recent endorsement of UNESCO's Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap by CARICOM's Council for Trade and Economic Development provided another sign of regional commitment to inclusive governance that puts people's needs first.

For Caribbean small island developing states, meaningful participation requires opportunities to build skills, exchange knowledge, test approaches and learn from peers, alongside ethical frameworks. UNESCO's Caribbean office will continue bringing regional perspectives into global AI discussions, supporting a future in which the technology reflects Caribbean priorities and serves the societies expected to use it.