The School for Graduate Studies and Research at The UWI has created a network of researchers to help the Caribbean make the most of artificial intelligence. The “Research Cluster on Generative AI for Good Research” will bring scholars together with industry leaders and policymakers from the region.
The network/research cluster will develop new, globally competitive postgraduate programmes on AI, a statement from The UWI said.
Speaking at the cluster’s launch on April 5 at the university’s Regional Headquarters in Jamaica, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Research Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee said that the network was important for The UWI’s mission to advance learning and foster innovation for the positive transformation of the Caribbean. The university, she said, promotes AI for ethical and equitable use, beneficial to all, especially the vulnerable.
The AI research cluster is led by Academic Director of The UWI Five Islands Campus Dr Curtis Charles, with management supported by UWI St Augustine computer scientist Professor Patrick Hosein, biostatistician Professor Ian Hambelton from UWI Cave Hill, and UWI Mona ICT and business innovation specialist Professor Maurice McNaughton.
At the launch, Dr Charles said the cluster’s “principle of operation” is to create an alliance among The UWI’s five campuses “dedicated to harnessing the transformative power of generative artificial intelligence”.
The network’s design, he said, included each campus having an AI lab made up of expert researchers. It would also incorporate Caribbean perspectives from governments, business, and civil society.
Over the next two years, the statement from the university said, the AI research cluster will create a strong digital presence, as well as put on research seminars and workshops. From July 8 to 10, the Five Islands campus will host The UWI’s first international AI conference. For more information on the conference, visit fiveislandsaiconference.com.
