At its 51st regular heads of government meeting in St. Lucia in July, CARICOM called for the urgent development of a regional AI framework. The heads of government agreed to set up a temporary group of experts to advise on AI policy agenda, governance standards and capacity-building. On the matter of children’s access to social media, the heads of government agreed to explore common legislation.
In Jamaica, the government announced that public consultations would open in September toward a draft AI policy expected be published by November 2026.
The Bahamas has created a Ministry of Innovation and National Development alongside plans for a national AI Committee to draft the country’s first AI legislation.
And over in Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley says the country will host the second in-person meeting of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence in November 2026. Mottley says AI governance cannot be left to voluntary corporate practice or a small number of advanced states.