Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry has asserted that artificial intelligence (AI) can assist Jamaica in achieving the national development goals, as outlined in Vision 2030.

He was speaking at the PIOJ’s Labour Market Forum yesterday.

Dr. Henry said by leveraging AI, the country can address critical challenges and accelerate progress across various sectors, as well as boost global competitiveness, given the AI-driven transformation of the global market. 

He pointed out that AI can help farmers to predict weather patterns and manage crops, using private data.

He also cited its use in tourism, to improve customer service through AI powered chat bots.

He noted that while AI presents unprecedented possibilities, there are risks and dangers that must be considered.

One of the significant concerns is the displacement of jobs, especially in sectors which have been exposed to AI driven automation such as the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.