By KEILE CAMPBELL

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI) will be a tool the Bahamas Government plans to use in the future, according to Parliamentary Secretary of Economic Affairs Wayde Watson, who teased an app that is in development currently that utilises AI.

Mr Watson delivered the keynote address at a ceremony celebrating World Consumer Rights Day, using the opportunity to speak about the advantages of AI, particularly its advantages to consumers, listing industries such as medicine, transportation, scientific research, and finance, adding that AI technology can help towards the world’s most pressing challenges.

“By developing artificial intelligence-driven solutions, we can improve our health care, reduce poverty, combat climate change and mitigate crime-related incidences,” Mr Watson said.

While he spoke positively about the dormant potential of AI in making life easier, more efficient, and enjoyable in ”countless ways”, he also issued a caution to his audience – made up by many schoolchildren attending the World Consumer Rights Day ceremony.

“As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, it is essential we consider its ethical implications. In other words, AI can be both good and bad,” he said. “Therefore, we must ensure that as consumers, we use AI in a good way and not so much an evil way. And as AI continues to develop and mature, we can expect to see even more groundbreaking applications emerge in years to come.”

Mr Watson said he expects AI to have a particular impact in the consumer sector, mentioning that AI-powered technology has the potential to personalise shopping experiences by way of AI-powered recommendation engines helping consumers find products and services tailored to their needs and preferences.

He spoke about AI’s ability to improve customer service and satisfaction while name-dropping Apple’s virtual assistant Siri and ChatGPT which both utilise AI to solve user questions.

He also raised concerns about using AI considering that artificial intelligence is still early in its global development.

“It is vital that we must move forward to ensure that artificial intelligence is fair and unbiased and that they do not discriminate against certain products or people. It is important to protect the consumer’s privacy, in other words, don’t use artificial intelligence to probe on others privacy. We must be fair and responsible. It is crucial that we prioritize areas of methods, our digital fairness, protections from misinformation and transparency,” the economic affairs parliamentary secretary said.

While the common thought is that AI is expected to make aspects of life easier, it may also threaten job security in the region, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimating that job automation rates in the region could reach 36-43 per cent by 2030, according to an article by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Michelle Muschet and UNDP Chief Digital Officer Robert Opp.

The article also revealed that, according to data, “the uptake of AI in industries in LAC shows that our region is already lagging behind global adoption rates” and recommended that the region “must continue to invest in STEM education in schools while preparing its workforce.”