Jamaicans Urged to Leverage AI to Solve Country’s Challenges

Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Marlon Morgan, is calling on Jamaicans to make use of artificial intelligence (AI) to solve some of the country’s pressing challenges.

He gave the charge during his address at the opening ceremony of the University of Technology (UTech) Pan-African/Caribbean Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems Conference (PAAISS) 2026 at the UTech campus in Papine, St. Andrew, on Tuesday (October 13).

“It cannot be that conferences like these and technology like AI and smart systems merely exist for the sake of existing. It (AI) has to be applied, it has to be made relevant in terms of helping us to solve the challenges of today,” Senator Morgan said.

“I urge you to think boldly. Think about how AI can help us recover from natural disasters and recover more quickly. Think about how smart systems can improve healthcare across rural communities. Think about how smart systems can make public services more transparent, accessible and efficient but also think about responsibility, AI ethics; think about inclusion. We must ensure that no one is left behind in this digital revolution,” he said.

He noted that the Government, through the Ministry, remains resolute in integrating AI into local classrooms.

“We are working to ensure that our classrooms are not just places where students consume information but where they learn to create, to code, to question, to interrogate, to synthesise and to innovate. We have ensured that our teachers are equipped and the tools and training they need to prepare a future-ready workforce,” he said.

Senator Morgan welcomed the staging of the four-day conference, noting that it has created a safe space for interdisciplinary dialogue, while fostering partnerships to leverage innovation for education, digital transformation and sustainable development in the Caribbean and Africa.

“The Ministry views this conference, this gathering of academics and stakeholders, not simply as a meeting of the minds but as a critical step towards shaping the future of our regions. The theme of this artificial intelligence and smart systems conference speaks to a powerful truth – artificial intelligence and smart systems are no longer concepts of a distant future. Indeed, they are tools of today,” Mr. Morgan said.

“They are reshaping how we teach our children, how we feed our communities, how we protect our environment, and how we govern our nations,” he pointed out.

For his part, President of UTech, Dr. Kevin Brown, said that the institution was pleased to be hosting the hybrid conference, which links some of the smartest minds from Africa and the Caribbean region.

“We have been talking AI for a long time but it is time that the continent of Africa speak with their brothers and sisters in the Caribbean.

We are a part of the African Diaspora. It is from the continent of Africa from which we came… . So, there is a relationship that is unique and it is time for Africa and the Caribbean to speak about technology and in this case, about artificial intelligence,” he pointed out.

“It is important that we accept that we have a role to play in AI and it’s not about when ChatGPT is asking a question. We have an intellectual role to play. We have a developmental role to play. We have our own indigenous cultures and identity that must be represented in AI. Other people are developing AI in their own image, literally, and we must shape it as well to match our culture [and] expectations, so that’s what this conference will be talking about,” Dr. Brown said.

Among the speakers are Dr. Mandla Gwetu of Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Dr. Beatrice Ombuki-Berman of Brock University, Canada; and Dr. Serestina Viriri of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.