Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant prospect—it’s the next inflection point shaping Jamaica’s economy. At the recent Labour Market Forum 2025, themed “AI and Us: The New Machine–Human Partnership,” Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry, urged the nation to confront this reality head-on: the machines are not coming—they’re already here.
Henry outlined that AI’s growing influence on the labour market represents both an enormous opportunity and a structural challenge. The technology, he said, could catalyze economic transformation, making Jamaican industries faster, smarter, and more globally competitive. From predictive farming to tourism analytics, the benefits span sectors—but so do the disruptions.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping productivity itself. It’s no longer about working harder, but smarter—using data to predict, automate, and create entirely new industries,” Henry stated.
He argued that Jamaica’s Vision 2030 targets can only be achieved if the workforce evolves alongside these technologies. The promise of AI lies not just in replacing manual labour but in unlocking higher-value jobs in software, data science, and digital services. However, Henry warned that without proper upskilling and governance, automation could amplify inequality, especially in sectors like BPO where routine, repetitive tasks are most vulnerable to replacement.
Still, the director general emphasized that automation should not be equated with unemployment. Instead, it presents a test of agility—forcing Jamaica’s labour force, policymakers, and educators to reimagine what work means in an intelligent economy. “We are entering an age where creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence become more valuable than repetition,” he noted.
Henry also addressed the country’s shifting demographics, pointing to the risks of an aging population and a shrinking workforce. “AI could be the lever that offsets our demographic imbalance,” he said, “but only if we train our citizens to wield it effectively.”
Central to Jamaica’s preparedness is the National Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which has already proposed a comprehensive policy framework for ethical AI use and public–private collaboration. Henry stressed that AI regulation, workforce adaptation, and innovation incentives must move in lockstep if Jamaica is to remain competitive in a data-driven global economy.
In closing, he called for a mindset shift: to stop viewing AI as a threat to jobs and instead see it as a multiplier of human capacity. “The nations that thrive will not be those that resist automation,” he said, “but those that train humans and machines to think together.”
The message was unmistakable — Jamaica stands on the edge of a digital revolution. Whether it ascends or stumbles will depend not on algorithms, but on how boldly it chooses to retool its people for the era of intelligence.
