In many recent global and regional assessments on artificial intelligence (AI), Caribbean countries have performed poorly, as the requisite systems and frameworks are still underdeveloped. The foundation of any country's work on AI is establishing national policies and a framework to facilitate the development of the enabling environment.

With Dr Craig Ramlal, the Chair of the Caribbean AI Task Force, we discuss the Task Force's Interim Report, which proposes harmonised AI policies for the region. During this conversation, Craig shares, among other things:

1. Some of the unique or underlying considerations that shaped the recommendations made by the Task Force in its Interim Report.
2. The approach the Task Force employed to arrive at its recommendations.
3. A key issue or concern in each of the policy areas that the Task Force proposed, and what recommendations have been made.

Note: Feedback on the Interim Report can be sent to caitf@ctu.int and should be received no later than 31 May 2026.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In an era of tighter funding, rising development costs, and increasing pressure to demonstrate real value, digital venture studios are proving to be an alternative to the more traditional incubator and accelerator startup models.

Seasoned tech entrepreneur and innovator, Rodney Browne, launched the Innovation Factory in 2025 in Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is currently building four ventures with plans to bring them to market later this year. In our conversation with Rodney, he shares with us, among other things:

* the ventures he has been building;

* how he balances his time between the Innovation Factory and his other commitments;

* how the startup/entrepreneurship landscape in Saint Kitts and Nevis changed since he launched his first business; and

* the advice he would give to someone wanting to build something similar to the Innovation Factory.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In our January 2026 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, IT Specialist, Researcher and Digital Analyst, Mathew Cowen, who is based in Martinique, and Esmeralda Levens-Wijngaarde of Blyce in Curaçao, the panel discusses:

* How important are sovereign systems, dataflows and data access for the Caribbean region?

* The AI hype cycle and the pressure to adopt, and finally,

* Web3: Is it still a thing?

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2025, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, International Consultant, and an Economist, Yacine Khelladi, and International Consultant, Carlton Samuels, the panel discusses the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2025, and what might be in store in 2026.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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To varying degrees, Caribbean countries are grappling with the issue of privacy and data protection. Countries that have more recent frameworks have been struggling to fully operationalise all of the provisions, whilst there are others that have not adopted current best practice in the space.

With information privacy specialists, Allison James of Barbados, and Rishi Maharaj of Trinidad and Tobago, we explore privacy and data protection trends and developments across the Caribbean region. During our conversation, we discuss:

* how privacy and data protection have evolved over the past few years;

* the current status of regulatory enforcement;

* areas of divergence or contradiction that multinational companies operating across the Caribbean must navigate; and

* trends or emerging developments that the Caribbean region may need to consider.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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Although we are at the end of the 2025 North Atlantic Hurricane Season, we are only six months away from the start of the 2026 hurricane season. Moreover, other hazards or disasters, such as fire, earthquake, or even a utility failure due to a cyberattack, can occur at any time.

Fabian Lewis, a telecommunications, emergency medicine and disaster management specialist from Saint Lucia, joins us to discuss how we as individuals, organisations and countries can improve our telecoms resilience and increase the chances that we will be able to remain connected when we need it most. Among other things, we discuss:

* what makes the Caribbean particularly vulnerable when it comes to telecoms and ICT disruptions during disasters;

* whether amateur radio is still important in a country's disaster/emergency communication management effort; and

* common mistakes organisations make when preparing (or failing to prepare) their telecoms and ICT systems for disasters.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

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In our November 2025 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, ICT Consultant Natalie Maharaj of Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr Lyndell St. Ville of Saint Lucia and the tech firm Datashore, the panel discusses:

* the imperative of implementing digital ID systems in the Caribbean region;

* the current state of AI governance; and

* cloud versus local or on-premises facilities and services in the Caribbean.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica in October 2025, the current focus is on disaster recovery. In telecoms and ICT, much of the infrastructure was adversely affected, hence the priority is remediation and restoration.

Learning from the experience of the region, we are joined by Craig Nesty, the telecoms regulator in Dominica, and Sylvester Cadette, of the International Telecommunications Union Area Office for the Caribbean. We discuss, among other things,

* Dominica's experience following Hurricane Maria in 2017;

* why having a well-functioning National Emergency Telecommunications Plan is critical;

* innovative projects that have been implemented; and

* strategies that countries could consider implementing prior to or following a disaster to expedite recovery.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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