Record STMT-W3A1033Advisory

Final Report: Toward Harmonized AI Policies and Recommendations for the Caribbean

Report Institutional policyLatin America and the Caribbeanadopted

This report by the CTU Caribbean AI Task Force establishes a foundational advisory framework and strategic recommendations for harmonizing AI policies across the Caribbean. It addresses the region's structural disparities, digital connectivity paradox, data governance gaps, and labor-market exposure while outlining seven key policy pillars. Ultimately, the report provides CARICOM member states with a roadmap to transition from passive consumers to active rule-makers in global artificial intelligence governance.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

Caribbean AI Task ForceMultistakeholder

Lead issuer

Caribbean Telecommunications UnionIntergovernmental

Publisher

Legal forceAdvisory

Under whose authorityInstitutional policy

Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

National governmentRegulatorsPublic sector bodiesCompaniesResearchers and academics

This report is for Caribbean governments, regional institutions, and development partners seeking to coordinate and implement harmonized AI policies across CARICOM member states.

Sectors

Cross-sectorTelecommunications and digital services · Information and Communication TechnologyResearch and science · AI research and innovation

What the document contains

What's covered

The report addresses the regional AI landscape, connectivity realities, governance deficits, labour-market exposures, and provides targeted recommendations across seven strategic pillars spanning data infrastructure, ethics, economic innovation, skills, public sector adoption, disaster resilience, and international trade.

What's missing

The report explicitly does not provide a costed implementation plan, detailed budget allocations, specific financing instrument designs, or a single uniform legislative model to be adopted identically across all member states.

Key takeaways

The Caribbean faces a connectivity paradox with high internet usage but fragile, externally dependent digital infrastructure and low domestic value capture.
CARICOM is the only major regional bloc without a binding collective AI governance instrument, creating a critical regional coordination gap.
The report establishes seven policy pillars covering data infrastructure, governance, economic transformation, talent, public sector AI, climate resilience, and global interoperability.
Effective regional governance must be anchored in existing international norms like the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI rather than duplicating global frameworks.
Addressing the implementation gap requires staged research-to-commercialization pathways, robust data protection legislation, and pooled regional resources.

Principles it states

Interoperability across semantic, ethical, legal, organisational, technical, and institutional layersRegional cooperation and shared infrastructure over isolated national strategiesDigital sovereignty and proactive rule-making instead of passive rule-taking

Outline

· Executive Framing
· 1. Introduction
· 2. The Caribbean AI Landscape
· 3. The Governance Deficit
· 4. Pillars & Policy Recommendations
· 5. The Task Force

IssuedJuly 2026

Length13,146 words

FormatNot recorded

Scoperegional

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Accountability

2/5

Clear responsibility for AI outcomes

the framework should establish minimum regional standards for algorithmic transparency, risk classification, and public-sector AI procurement

4. Pillars & Policy Recommendations

screening score · 2026-10-23

Fairness

3/5

Non-discrimination and equitable treatment

including algorithmic bias, socioeconomic exclusion, and the erosion of information integrity are distributed universally

Executive Framing

screening score · 2026-10-23

Human Dignity

1/5

Respect for the inherent worth of persons

Cultural Flourishing & Child Safety Examining the long-term cognitive and cultural impacts of continuous human-AI interaction

1. Introduction

screening score · 2026-10-23

Human Oversight

1/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

allow employees to concentrate on functions requiring human judgement and decision-making.

Caribbean AI Landscape

screening score · 2026-10-23

Transparency

2/5

Openness about how AI systems work and are used

The framework should establish minimum regional standards for algorithmic transparency, risk classification, and public-sector AI procurement

4. Pillars & Policy Recommendations

screening score · 2026-10-23

Enforcement

1/5

Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force

Commitments frequently remain aspirational, lacking the costed roadmaps, institutional ownership, legislative sequencing, and monitoring mechanisms

3. The Governance Deficit

screening score · 2026-10-23

Impact Assessment

3/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

the regional governance framework should require AI systems deployed in or serving the Caribbean to be assessed for disparate performance and impact

4. Pillars & Policy Recommendations

screening score · 2026-10-23

Topics

artificial_intelligence regional_governance digital_infrastructure data_protection economic_transformation capacity_building