Investigating AI literacy education in the Caribbean

Purpose This paper investigates artificial intelligence (AI) literacy education in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Antigua to gain an understanding of the perceived benefits and challenges of AI use, the degree of implementation of AI literacy education and citizens' attitudes toward the use of AI in their daily lives. Design/methodology/approach A secondary data analysis research design was employed in this study. This design requires the creation of research questions, the search for secondary data and the analysis of that data. Findings The perceived benefits of AI use included revenue growth and increased productivity while the perceived challenges were ethical issues and job displacement. Adult learners received the most AI training and some citizens had negative attitudes toward AI. Research limitations/implications Secondary data were used in this research. Therefore, the questions that could be asked were restricted. The advantage of this approach, however, is that the research was completed faster and at a lower cost. Practical implications An age-appropriate Caribbean AI literacy curriculum for all education levels is required, and cooperation among Caribbean governments is needed to formulate AI implementation plans and policies. This will take time and money. Social implications Citizens' degrees of understanding of AI are important since effective AI use could lead to enhanced productivity, innovation and revenue, thereby improving citizens' quality of life. Originality/value There is a dearth of research on AI literacy education in the Caribbean. This paper, therefore, informs educators, governments and other stakeholders about the state of AI literacy, which will potentially help them to formulate strategic plans necessary to prepare for Caribbean-wide AI literacy education.