Drakes: SJPI ready for AI revolution

Principal of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), Ian Drakes, has suggested artificial intelligence (AI) is a central force shaping the future of industries in Barbados. And he says the SJPI, as a leading technical and vocational institution, is not only embracing this global shift but is also preparing the nation’s workforce to harness AI’s transformative potential.

Delivering the welcome address during the 16th Samuel Jackman Prescod Memorial Lecture, he noted the mixed reactions AI often generates, stating, “As the … world shifts toward the creation and use of artificial intelligence, there remains a damper of rejection, which ranges from fear to excitement.”

However, Drakes made it clear that SJPI is committed to dispelling fear by focusing on education and innovation. “Here at the SJPI, we believe that people fear what they do not understand, and we embrace technology and the power of the future,” he said, signalling the institution’s readiness to lead Barbados into the AI-driven era.

The principal highlighted the ways AI was reshaping industries and how SJPI was positioning itself to be at the forefront of this change. He pointed to the manufacturing sector, where AI is already making significant inroads: “Research shows that when combining life and cameras, X-rays, etcetera, AI can accurately identify defects in parts and products and can assist in locating the basis of these, saving manufacturers valuable time and money.”

This, Drakes suggested, was just one instance where AI could streamline operations and drive efficiency, areas where SJPI is currently focused on training the next generation of skilled workers.

He did not stop at manufacturing, extending his vision to other critical sectors, noting that AI was also revolutionising fields like media and architecture. “Film and media allow for the production of content to be more persuasive, especially when this content can be translated to other languages, further perpetuating the interconnectedness of the world,” he remarked.

In architecture, Drakes highlighted how AI is aiding in addressing real-world challenges. “Architects are best able to design prototypes to facilitate housing solutions to areas where housing is a problem, especially affordable housing or housing suitable for threats of weather and natural disasters,” he explained.

The principal framed SJPI’s embrace of AI within a broader global context, aligning the institution’s efforts with Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for “inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.” By 2030, the goal is to increase the number of youth and adults who possess “relevant skills, including technical and professional skills for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.”

Drakes sees SJPI as playing a central role in achieving this, noting that the institute’s mission is to provide “a national system of training that facilitates a sustainable, appropriately trained, productive, and flexible labour force that responds readily to changes in the trends in industry.”

“We embrace technology and the power of the future… We think of it as an extension of the exciting things of which I am always speaking,” Drakes said. (RG)