AI Adoption in the Caribbean

A Comparative Analysis of Belize, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago

Abstract

This research looks at how quickly Belize is adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in relation to regional leaders Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados. It uses the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to assess government policies, how developed the laws are, and how prepared the overall system is. This is done by looking at how people expect AI to work, how much effort they think using it will be, how much other people's opinions affect them, and how easy it is to actually get AI to work. Using this method to look at both the larger system and at individual institutional readiness for AI, explains up to 70% of why people are planning to use a technology. The findings show Belize has included digital aims in its National Digital Agenda for 2022 to 2025, but is at a very early "Explorer" stage. It does not have the detailed AI laws and institutional structures that its neighbors do. Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have created specific ministries and task forces, while Barbados, as a wealthier Small Island Developing State (SIDS), is leading the way in controlling its digital sovereignty and using AI for "Blue Economy" applications through "agile governance" models. The research concludes that Belize needs to move from horizontal digital frameworks to targeted vertical AI policy roadmaps. These AI plans need to cover the difference between how quickly AI is improving and how slowly the rules are being changed, and Belize needs to invest more in research and development. It also needs to adopt the agile governance models that Barbados uses to deal with the likelihood of job displacement and "AI capacity debt", and to help develop a skilled workforce within Belize itself.