The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) needs a unified approach to dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) which Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley described as having the ability to undermine democracy.
Mottley was speaking at St Alban’s, St James, last Saturday night during a rally celebrating the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) victorious candidate in the St James North by-election Chad Blackman.
She referred to comments by President of Trinidad and Tobago Christine Kangaloo who, in a new sitting of parliament last Friday, called for legislation on AI, among other things.
Mottley said it was a world in which people were confronted by all kinds of challenges, “and in the region, we must come up with a common framework, because AI is empowering, but it can be destructive of human civilisation”.
She continued: “The fact that you can take my voice and my image, and pretend that I have made a speech that I did not make, is what will undermine democracy, will encourage fake news, and will cause people conflict, not just at the political level, but think of families, think of relationships, think of workplaces. These are things that we will deal with and must deal with.”
The rally also marked the seventh anniversary of the BLP’s first 30-0 victory in the 2018 polls and Mottley checked off the laundry list of achievements. These included managing fiscal responsibility, the purchasing of buses and garbage trucks, three wage increases for public sector workers, deals struck for tourism workers, the introduction of paternity leave and increased maternity leave, stabilisation of the National Insurance and Social Security Service.
She also spoke of the new legislation either introduced or in the works to protect the elderly, children and disabled. And she vowed to incrementally eliminate water woes “piece by piece” and “parish by parish”, as well as tackle the cost of living.
The Prime Minister urged Barbadians to prepare for the hurricane season which is less than a week away and said she asked Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn to have a conversation with the insurance companies.
“. . .The same way you get a no-claims bonus for not getting in an accident, if people’s houses meet the building code – either existing houses or new houses – let us negotiate with the insurance companies to give people an ease off of the burden,” she said.
Roads, drainage
Mottley reminded those gathered of the roadworks completed under Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, who also spoke during the rally.
“Santia told you about the mill and pave. She told you about the small roads and the Territory Roads Programme so we can get inside off the highways. She told you also that we must continue to deal with drainage because the type of rain that’s coming is literally mashing up our roads because of the intensity, because of the climate crisis. These are our commitments to you.
We have more than enough investments. We need the skills and the manpower now.”
The Prime Minister said education transformation would continue, and gave themselves a part on the back for restoring free tertiary education at the University of the West Indies as well as the myriad of free courses available through the National Transformation Initiative and Coursera. She urged people to also develop their skills to take up jobs in the construction industry.
Of her frequent overseas travel, she said it was not “for the sake of it”.
“I don’t travel to leave Barbados. I travel to take Barbados to the world. Let’s get it real, and in taking Barbados to the world, everywhere in the world they know now about Bridgetown. They know about the Bridgetown Initiative. They know now about natural disaster clauses. The World Bank is now following us. The British Export Credit Agency is following us,” Mottley said, adding more countries were talking about disaster clauses and new financing models. The Prime Minister, who previously said she would not be back for a third term, explained that decision was influenced by the death of her brother Warren Mottley.
“The weight of that loss, I tell you, influenced my perspective. And why? Because while I am your Prime Minister, I am still a sister. I am still a daughter. I am still an aunt. And in those circumstances, that was genuinely and until very recently my position,” she said, voice lowered.
“There is no doubt that the water is still choppy. I came to the conclusion a few nights ago that this is no longer a personal decision, but it is a decision of duty. I would love to rest, believe you me.”
Mottley said she would take 17 days’ vacation in July because she has not had a real holiday since her brother’s death. (SAT)
