Salises: Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies

You're Invited to the upcoming gLocal sessions!

1.
GLOCAL Session 1: Artificial Intelligence in Evaluation Practice – Experiences from Caribbean Evaluators

📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
🕤 9:30 a.m. (Jamaica Time)
💻 Online

🔗 Register here: https://www.caribeval.org/event-6650005

2.
GLocal Session 2 - AI and Evaluation in Complex Contexts: Climate Resilience, Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action

📅 Thursday, June 4, 2026
🕤 9:30 a.m. (Jamaica Time)
💻 Online

🔗 Register here: https://www.caribeval.org/event-6650009

3.
GLocal Session 3 - Artificial Intelligence and Evidence Use in Caribbean Development Policy

📅 Friday, June 5, 2026
🕤 9:30 a.m. (Jamaica Time)
💻 Online

🔗 Register here: https://www.caribeval.org/event-6650007

🎥 Missed the launch of the SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study (Jamaica)? You can now watch both the official recap video and the full event recording online. 🇯🇲🤖

The study explores Jamaica’s readiness for Artificial Intelligence, highlighting opportunities, gaps, and priorities for inclusive national development in the era of the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

📊 Key findings include:
✅ Jamaica’s public AI readiness score: 60/100
✅ Growing awareness and engagement with AI
✅ Key gaps in skills, trust, training, and inclusion
✅ Need for stronger AI governance, education, and digital preparedness

The event featured presentation of findings by Dr. Stephen Johnson alongside a distinguished panel discussion with leaders from academia, technology, media, and public policy.

🎬 Watch the recap video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/_-4IV8tGOZw?si=-W0OMFMH5dHAgnC5

📺 Watch the full event recording:
https://youtu.be/---C32xF1r8?si=Vu3roaQit2RdBAiK

Learn more about SALISES Mona (https://www.uwi.edu/salises-mona/) and ongoing work around AI readiness, governance, and digital transformation in the Caribbean.

Launch and Presentation of Findings – SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study Launch & Presentation of Findings of the SALISES Public Artificial ...

We are proud to highlight Dr. Dacia Leslie, who will be presenting at the 35th Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ35) on:

“Children Deprived of Liberty in Jamaica: Policy Implementation Gaps, the Nelson Mandela Rules, and Lessons for the Global South.”

📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
🕐 1:00–2:00 PM CET
📍 Vienna International Centre & Online

Hosted as part of the Hybrid Side Event:
Sociological Perspectives on Crime and Justice

🔗 Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/4mb9v9sa

📢 You're invited to
The University of the West indies
Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES)
in Partnership with Ardex Strategic Solutions

Virtual Leadership Presentation
Delivering Under Pressure: Building High-Performance Teams in Mission-Critical Environments

🎤 Featured Speaker
Ms. Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
NASA's Artemis Launch Director
Exploration Ground Systems
Launch Control Center
Kennedy Space Center, Florida

🗓 Monday, June 15, 2026
⏰ 2:00 P.M. (Jamaica Time)
🔗 Zoom registration - https://uwi.zoom.us/meeting/register/nnzAYT0wRjeKXmctF1lJeg

Thank you to all our partners and stakeholders for supporting the Equity in Action Breakfast Briefing and contributing to the development of the National Roadmap for Action on Advancing Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities in Jamaica (2027–2032).

AI is not just changing technology. It is changing creativity, culture and opportunity.

The SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study shows that Jamaica is already inside the AI transition. AI is entering how we learn, communicate, create, market, work, do business and reach the world.

For Jamaica’s creative economy, this is a major moment.

Music, film, fashion, design, publishing, media, craft, events, digital content, cultural heritage and entertainment can all be transformed by AI. Creatives can use it to brainstorm ideas, write scripts, build campaigns, translate content, create captions, prepare proposals, design products, reach new audiences and open new income streams.

But the opportunity comes with responsibility.

AI can also copy Jamaican style, voice, image, language, dance, music and cultural symbols without permission or payment. It can create fake videos, fake voices, false endorsements and misinformation that damage artists, brands and public trust.

That is why Jamaica must move carefully and boldly.

Creative entrepreneurs must learn how to use AI strategically. Government must protect intellectual property, fund AI training, support creative MSMEs, regulate deepfakes and synthetic media, build creative tech hubs and promote Brand Jamaica globally.

One urgent next step is a national AI and Creative Economy Sector Study. Jamaica needs evidence on how AI is already being used, who is benefiting, who is being left behind, what risks exist and what support creatives need to grow.

The message is clear: AI should not replace Jamaican creativity. It should amplify it, protect it and help it earn more.

Jamaica’s creative economy must now move from casual AI use to strategic, ethical and income-generating AI adoption.

AI is already changing Jamaica’s tourism sector.

From hotels, attractions and ground transportation to restaurants, craft vendors, entertainment, community tourism and MSMEs, AI can help the sector move faster, serve visitors better and compete smarter.

The SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study shows that Jamaica has real momentum, but the benefits of AI will not spread automatically. To unlock the opportunity, every stakeholder has a role to play.

Government must create the enabling environment: raise awareness, strengthen digital infrastructure, fund AI programmes for tourism MSMEs, protect data privacy, support innovation and ensure responsible use.

Universities and training institutes must build the skills pipeline through AI literacy, tourism-specific training, research, innovation labs and workforce upskilling.

The private sector must lead with investment and ex*****on: adopt AI tools, train staff, improve customer service, personalize visitor experiences, protect visitor data and support MSMEs across the tourism value chain.

International development organizations can help accelerate the transformation through funding, technical support, capacity-building, research systems, responsible AI frameworks and partnerships.

The goal is clear: use AI to strengthen Brand Jamaica, improve productivity, empower MSMEs, create jobs, protect reputation and build a more resilient tourism future.

Jamaica’s tourism sector must now move from casual AI use to coordinated AI transformation.

AI is no longer something far away. It is already changing how people work, learn, create, communicate, serve customers, make decisions, and build wealth.

The next five years will be decisive.

AI agents will become part of everyday work. Businesses will automate follow-up, customer service, marketing, sales, finance, and operations. Workers will need new skills. Entrepreneurs will have new tools. Governments will face new responsibilities. Universities and training institutions will have to prepare citizens for a world where AI is no longer optional.

For Jamaica, this is not a moment for fear. It is a moment for preparation.

The real question is not whether AI will transform Jamaica. It will. The real question is whether Jamaica will shape that transformation or simply react to it.

Jamaican businesses must begin using AI to improve productivity, reduce costs, serve customers better, and build new business models.

Jamaican citizens must build AI literacy, learn how to prompt, verify information, protect privacy, and use AI to create opportunity.

The Government must strengthen digital access, governance, cybersecurity, data protection, and national AI strategy.

Universities and training institutes must rapidly embed AI across curricula, offer short courses, support applied research, and prepare the workforce for the future.

The warning is clear: those who own, operate, and understand AI systems will move faster. Those who are left without access, skills, trust, and support may fall further behind.

Jamaica must not drift into the AI future.

We must prepare, govern, innovate, and include.

This is the message of the SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study: AI must become a tool for national development, productivity, inclusion, and shared prosperity.

At the May 12, 2026 launch and presentation of findings for the SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study (Jamaica), several important issues were highlighted about trust, readiness, and Jamaica’s participation in the AI revolution.

Among the key findings presented were:

🔹 Jamaicans are not anti-AI — they are conditionally pro-AI
🔹 The average AI trust score was 5.45/10, suggesting that trust is moderate, cautious, and dependent on safeguards
🔹 Jamaicans are more comfortable with low-risk uses of AI than with high-stakes uses
🔹 Major concerns include privacy, data security, misinformation, deepfakes, weak regulation, and accountability
🔹 Strong support was expressed for clear regulation, AI literacy, transparency, and human oversight

What does this mean?

It means Jamaica’s participation in the AI revolution will depend not only on access to technology, but also on whether citizens trust it, understand it, and feel protected while using it.

Without trust, Jamaica may face:

⚠️ Slower AI adoption in business, education, and public services
⚠️ Greater exposure to scams, misinformation, and deepfakes
⚠️ Missed opportunities for productivity, jobs, and innovation
⚠️ A widening gap between those who are digitally prepared and those who are not

The message from the presentation was clear: building trust in AI is now a development priority for Jamaica.

The full report will be released on May 22, 2026.

Authors: Prof. Lloyd Waller & Dr. Stephen Johnson
Publisher: SALISES, The University of the West Indies, Mona

At the presentation of the findings on May 12, 2026, at the Regional Headquarters, The University of the West Indies, Mona, it was revealed that Jamaicans are not anti-AI — they are conditionally pro-AI.

The SALISES Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study (Jamaica) found an average AI trust score of 5.45/10, suggesting that trust is moderate, cautious, and dependent on safeguards.

The main trust concerns include:

🔹 Privacy and data protection
🔹 Data security and identity theft
🔹 Misinformation and deepfakes
🔹 Weak regulation and unclear rules
🔹 Lack of accountability when AI causes harm
🔹 Need for human oversight in high-stakes decisions
🔹 Surveillance and loss of freedom
🔹 Job displacement and worker insecurity
🔹 Bias and unfair decision-making
🔹 Questions about who controls AI and who benefits

The study also shows that trust can be strengthened through:

✅ Clear regulation
✅ Privacy protection
✅ Transparency
✅ Human oversight
✅ Accountability and redress
✅ Deepfake and misinformation safeguards
✅ Public education and AI literacy

The message is clear: Jamaicans are open to AI, but they want it to be safe, fair, transparent, and responsibly governed.

This is not just a technology issue. It is a development issue, a governance issue, and a trust issue.

Authors: Prof. Lloyd Waller & Dr. Stephen Johnson
Publisher: SALISES, The University of the West Indies, Mona
Year: 2026