I sit on Jamaica's National AI Task Force, and I also run an AI company that sells to government. Both roles shape this assessment, so I state them up front. Jamaica has made real progress on AI policy. The problem is pace: AI capability changes in months, and Jamaican policy, like most countries' policy, moves in years.
Who does what in Jamaica's AI policy
- Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport (MSET): the lead ministry. It covers telecommunications, digital infrastructure and science policy, and now AI strategy. The Minister and Permanent Secretary set direction.
- National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST): the long-standing home of science and technology policy, which links AI to the wider innovation agenda.
- National AI Task Force: AI practitioners (including me), academics from UWI and other institutions, private sector technology leaders and officials. Its job is to recommend governance rules, priority sectors and a national strategy.
The structure is sensible. Whether it moves fast enough is the open question.
What the Task Force has done so far
A readiness baseline. The Task Force surveyed government agencies, universities and companies. The finding: pockets of real AI capability, surrounded by large areas of little understanding or use.
Draft public-sector principles. Transparency, accountability, bias mitigation, privacy and human oversight for AI used by government. They are not yet binding guidelines.
Priority sectors. Public safety, healthcare, education, agriculture and government services, with public safety and healthcare ranked highest.
International engagement. Work with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), UNESCO and bilateral partners on practice elsewhere and technical assistance.
Five gaps that slow Jamaica down
No published national AI strategy. Singapore, Canada, France, the UAE, Kenya, Colombia, Chile and many others have published strategies with priorities, funding, governance and timelines. In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic published its national AI strategy in 2023. As of this writing, Jamaica has not published one.
No dedicated funding. Countries that have moved furthest committed specific money for research, training, government deployment and local companies, even when the sums were modest. A strategy without a budget line changes little.
Procurement built for other purchases. I have watched agencies buy AI-related systems from overseas vendors through processes designed for goods and works. The results are often expensive, slow to implement and poorly suited to Jamaica, and local firms that could have delivered are shut out. Procurement reform would do more for the local AI sector than almost any other single change.
Data rules that predate AI. The Data Protection Act 2020, in force since December 2023, covers personal data. It says little specific about algorithmic bias, training data or the use of personal data in machine learning. AI-specific guidance is still needed.
No plan for AI staff in government. Government cannot match private salaries for AI specialists and has no alternative route, such as secondments from companies, fixed-term mission roles or flexible arrangements. Without that staff, government AI projects will stay small.
The government is working on AI policy at government speed in a world that is moving at AI speed.
How Jamaica compares with its neighbours
Barbados has moved faster on digital government. Its size makes coordination easier, and its government has been more willing to try new digital services.
Trinidad and Tobago has used energy revenue to invest in digital infrastructure, and in 2025 it created a Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence.
The Dominican Republic has a larger economy, more foreign technology investment, a bigger outsourcing sector and a published national AI strategy.
The region as a whole trails Latin American leaders such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, which have published strategies and begun putting them into practice. Jamaica has the practitioners and companies to lead in the Caribbean, but not yet the published plan or budget.
Six things the government should do, in order
- Publish the strategy. An imperfect published strategy creates accountability, gives agencies a framework and makes it easier for partners to fund work.
- Fund it. Even J$500 million over three years would pay for AI in two or three priority services, training for public servants and grants for Jamaican firms building for government.
- Reform technology procurement. A fast-track route for technology purchases below a set value, with evaluation on demonstrated capability instead of company size or brand.
- Build a small AI team inside government. Ten people with competitive pay, housed in MSET, serving other agencies.
- Issue AI data guidance. Guidelines or amendments on automated decisions, algorithmic transparency and training data, written with the local AI community.
- Lead on CARICOM coordination. Shared approaches to AI governance, skills and market access help small states more than 15 separate efforts.
The private sector is ahead, and should take part in policy
Jamaican banks use AI for fraud detection and risk. BPO firms are building it into service delivery. Tourism operators are starting to use it for pricing and guest service. Each of these happened because the business case was clear.
Many technology firms treat government policy as irrelevant to them. Data protection, procurement and education rules shape their market directly, and firms that respond to Task Force consultations get a say. Firms that stay out will live with rules written without them.
My view from inside is conditional optimism. The people involved are capable. The machinery is slow and the funding is thin. I do not know when the strategy will be published, and that uncertainty is the clearest sign of the problem.
Prompts for researching Jamaica's AI policy
Compare Jamaica's national AI policy progress with Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, and with three similar-sized developing countries outside the Caribbean. What can Jamaica learn from countries that have published and implemented national AI strategies?
I work in the Jamaican government in [ministry/agency]. Identify three processes in my area that could use AI. For each, describe the solution, rough cost, benefits, risks and the data needed. Write it for a non-technical permanent secretary.
Draft a two-page briefing note for Jamaica's Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport on why Jamaica needs dedicated AI funding, with comparisons from other developing countries and specific funding recommendations.
Review Jamaica's Data Protection Act 2020 and list the gaps for AI governance. Use the EU AI Act and other frameworks as reference points, adapted to Jamaica's legal and economic context.
What to do next
- Citizens: write to your Member of Parliament asking two questions: when will the national AI strategy be published, and what share of government AI spending goes to Jamaican firms?
- Public servants: list three processes in your unit that are repetitive and rule-based, and take one to your permanent secretary as a candidate for a small AI pilot, with the data it would need.
- Jamaican AI and software firms: register with the Public Procurement Commission, set up a GOJEP account and respond to the next relevant tender, even a small one, to build a track record.
- Industry associations: send a written submission to MSET on procurement reform and AI data guidance, with two or three concrete cases from members.
- Data controllers using AI: map where automated decisions touch personal data and check them against the Data Protection Act now, before AI-specific guidance arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a Jamaican AI company bid for government work?
Register as a supplier with the Public Procurement Commission in the relevant category, then create an account on GOJEP, the Government of Jamaica Electronic Procurement system, where most public tenders are advertised. Tender documents set the evaluation criteria, so read them for experience and turnover thresholds before you bid. Small contracts are the practical way to build the track record larger tenders ask for.
Who enforces the Data Protection Act, and what must organisations using AI do now?
The Office of the Information Commissioner enforces the Act, handles complaints and issues guidance. Organisations that process personal data must register with the Commissioner, keep to the data protection standards in the Act and appoint a data protection officer where required. If an AI system uses personal data, document what data it uses, for what purpose and on what lawful basis.
Does the EU AI Act affect Jamaican businesses?
It can. The EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 and applies in stages to anyone who places AI systems on the EU market or whose AI output is used in the EU, wherever the provider is based. A Jamaican firm selling AI-based services to European clients, or a BPO running AI tools for EU customers, should check whether its systems fall into the Act's high-risk categories.
What funding can Jamaican AI projects use while there is no dedicated government AI budget?
The Development Bank of Jamaica offers finance and support programmes for technology businesses, and JAMPRO helps with investment facilitation and export promotion. Multilateral lenders such as the IDB, through IDB Lab, and the World Bank fund digital and innovation projects, usually through government agencies or approved partners. Check each programme's current calls, because eligibility and deadlines change every cycle.
How can I take part in Jamaica's AI policy process?
Watch for public consultations announced by MSET and published through the Jamaica Information Service, and submit written comments before the deadline. Industry bodies such as the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce often collect member views for joint submissions. Specific examples from your own organisation carry more weight than general statements.