BY ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE BUSINESS REPORTER

anixon@tribunemedia.net

SIMPLIFIED Tech is betting that artificial intelligence and robotics can help Bahamian businesses boost productivity as the company launches what it describes as the Caribbean’s first dedicated humanoid robotics and AI laboratory alongside a new robotics and AI store.

Chief Executive Robert Pantry said the technology could be particularly transformative for small and medium-sized businesses, arguing that increased productivity could allow companies to grow revenue without immediately having to expand their traditional employee base.

“We believe those will be the jobs of the future while the manual and repetitive jobs are given to either robots or AI agents,” Mr Pantry said. “And you got me on record that 100 percent these AI agents and robots is going to increase the number of jobs, different jobs in the future.”

He said the productivity gains could also help businesses move towards shorter working arrangements, including a potential four-day work week, as automation takes over repetitive tasks and employees are freed to focus on higher-value work.

The company’s launch comes as it seeks to move artificial intelligence beyond software and into the physical world, with Mr Pantry describing its philosophy simply: “The robot is the body, the AI is the brain.”

At the centre of the initiative is Simplified Tech’s new Humanoid Robotics and AI Lab, which will be used for robotics research and testing, secondary development, AI integration, product testing, robot customisation, specialised AI agents, employee training and the development of applications tailored to Caribbean businesses and communities.

“We do not want to simply import technology, put it on the shelf, and sell it,” Mr Pantry said. “We want to understand it, develop on top of it, customize it, and determine how we can solve real problems in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean.”

The company has already spent more than a year experimenting with robotics and AI applications, including its humanoid loans officer, Evie, which has been deployed in an actual business environment. Mr Pantry said the new laboratory will allow the company to take that experimentation further, including exploring applications in homes, warehouses, retail, hospitality, inspections and elderly support.

Simplified Tech is also introducing two robots aimed at the hospitality sector, while another more advanced platform, the G1 Edu, is being developed for further experimentation. The company plans to hold a public naming competition in The Bahamas and across the Caribbean for two of the robots, with details expected to be released within the next two weeks.

The robots and other products are also expected to begin going on sale online within the next two weeks, while Simplified Tech plans to open physical robot stores in Nassau and Freeport. Mr Pantry said the company is deliberately creating both a laboratory and retail operation to ensure the technology is not simply imported but understood, adapted and supported locally.

“The lab is where we learn, test and build,” he said. “The store is where we make the technology accessible and useful for the public.”

The store will offer humanoid robots, physical AI devices and other intelligent technologies to businesses and individual consumers, while Simplified Tech intends to provide diagnostics, repairs, maintenance, configuration, training and ongoing technical support.

The company is also exploring financing options through Simplified Lending to make the technology more accessible. Mr Pantry said some quadruped robotic platforms could be priced below $5,000, with financing potentially bringing payments down to about $50 per week. He identified hospitality, retail, distribution and financial services as industries likely to benefit significantly from robotics, while AI agents could have a particularly strong impact on white-collar and administrative work.

At the launch, Senior Manager of Group Synergy and Transformation Gerlia Nairn demonstrated the potential applications of the technology, including humanoid and quadruped robots. She said humanoid platforms could eventually be customised for hospitality, customer engagement, education, research, entertainment and repetitive physical tasks. Quadruped robots, meanwhile, could be used for security and patrol, inspections, monitoring, industrial environments and difficult terrain.

Ms Nairn highlighted the potential for disaster response in The Bahamas, suggesting that a robot equipped with cameras could be sent into an area affected by a hurricane to gather information before emergency personnel enter potentially dangerous conditions.

Kinara Lloyd, Business Lead at Simplified Tech, said businesses and individual consumers can obtain AI agents through subscription arrangements or one-time investments, depending on their needs. Ms Lloyd described the AI agents as “digital colleagues or teammates.”

“We’ve been working with businesses already,” she said. “A lot of them have found it to be very useful and beneficial. Certainly, when you can increase your productivity without necessarily having to increase your head count… whatever investment you do make in the technology to be able to do that is worth it.”

Mr Pantry argued that the shift should not be viewed simply as a battle between people and machines.

“In our view, the future is not simply humans versus robots,” he said. “It’s humans, AI, and robots working together.”

He said robots and AI could assume repetitive, manual, physically demanding and potentially hazardous tasks, allowing people to concentrate on judgement, creativity, problem-solving and relationships.

Mr Pantry is predicting the emergence of roles such as AI-agent assistants and “human-in-the-loop” supervisors. He said the productivity gains could be particularly important for small and medium-sized businesses that cannot afford large workforces.

“The humans can focus on revenue-generating activities, while the business grows to a point where they can take on more employees,” Mr Pantry said.

The company is also placing significant emphasis on employee training, warning that businesses need to understand how AI tools are being used across their organisations and how individual AI systems can be coordinated.

Mr Pantry said companies should not expect to transform their operations overnight, but argued that businesses planning for the future need to begin experimenting now because the technology is developing at an unprecedented pace.

He pointed to the rapid evolution of humanoid robots and AI agents over the past year and warned that the pace of development means technologies could become obsolete within months. For The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean, he said the objective is to avoid repeating a pattern in which the region waits for developed markets to master emerging technologies before adopting them.

“The Bahamas and the Caribbean should not simply be consumers of technology developed elsewhere,” Mr Pantry said. “We should also learn how the technology works, develop our skills around them, and find ways to adapt them to unique challenges and opportunities in our region.”

Simplified Tech ultimately hopes to build partnerships throughout the Caribbean so that robots can be serviced and supported locally rather than relying entirely on overseas manufacturers. Mr Pantry said the company’s ambition extends beyond selling machines.

“Our goal is not technology for technology’s sake,” he said. “Our goal is to use technology to solve real problems, reduce workloads, increase productivity, create opportunities, and help people and businesses accomplish more.”