The paramount goal of national or regional development in our age of artificial intelligence has to be the nurturing and retention of human capital.
Regardless of how well thought out our plans for AI may be, we would be hard pressed to lift them off the ground without a thriving, local tech ecosystem to foster, empower, and retain our skilled workforce.
Guyana, along with the wider region, continues to battle a daunting exodus of talent, signaling an urgent need to prioritize the development of our local technology ecosystem as a key strategy in driving national progress.
Over the last five years, our solitary AI enterprise in Guyana has created over 50 tech jobs for Guyanese, upskilled hundreds in tech and pioneered a shift in the paradigm of exporting talent to exporting AI innovation. It has played a pivotal role in activating the local tech community through digital industry exhibitions, hackathons for social good and of late, an AI for development showcase. It has contributed to digital transformation in the country with solutions like Ferrypass, which positively impacts thousands of citizens. This has not been easy and we need to make the way more frictionless for budding tech founders and startups alike.
The AI-4D movement amplifies this mission, breaking new ground by showcasing platforms and programs in our age of generative AI, that are not only designed to support tech ecosystem growth but also encourage the retention of the brightest minds to sustain it. We are already witnessing the fruits of this initiative and need to raise awareness around this intervention point for development. Partnerships are pivotal as we strive to fortify the very foundation of our technological growth—our people.
Find out more about this movement here: https://ai4devent.org
and here: https://bit.ly/46K5tRU
