UWI principal urges postgraduates to amplify Caribbean perspectives in AI

Days after Prime Minister Mia Mottley sounded the alarm on the Caribbean’s control over information dissemination, academia is now raising its own concerns.

Those concerns have prompted Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Professor Clive Landis, to issue a challenge to postgraduate students: produce work that ensures unique Caribbean voices and perspectives are heard across artificial intelligence platforms.

Speaking at Tuesday’s orientation for the 2025/2026 academic year cohort, Principal Landis acknowledged the Prime Minister’s warning and called on students to ensure global data better reflects Caribbean perspectives through their research, publications, and advocacy.

“As graduate students at our regional public university, you have a special responsibility to research and communicate the Caribbean experience, whether that is in history, culture, law, medicine, social science, sport, you name it. In an era of artificial intelligence, never underestimate the impact your work can have in this age of information and interconnectedness.

“Remember that AI simply feeds on whatever big data is out there on the web, which at this stage implies massive bias towards big data and the worldview contributed from the Global North. Across the board, our Caribbean world must be researched and our findings communicated so that the large language models which drive AI can be informed of our existence and learn of our authentic Caribbean viewpoint.”

Highlighting the campus’ commitment to solutions-driven research, Professor Landis pointed to groundbreaking work by doctoral students in renewable energy, marine protection, public health, food innovation, the preservation of indigenous heritage, and other fields. These contributions, he said, demonstrate how UWI scholars are shaping global knowledge from a uniquely Caribbean perspective.

Director of the School for Graduate Studies and Research, Professor Dwayne Devonish, welcomed students by sharing his own academic journey as a Commonwealth Scholar in the UK.

Reflecting on his early assumptions about academia, he said he once believed a university’s greatest asset was knowledge production, but later realised its true value lies in people and relationships.

“Make this journey more than just about getting a degree,” he urged the cohort. “Build lasting relationships, not just with your lecturers, but with each other.”

He echoed the remarks of President of the Cave Hill Association of Postgraduate Students, Tieon Sealey, who highlighted the balancing roles students would need to manage.

Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Dr. Jeanese Badenock, reinforced that message, telling students they were no longer mere consumers of knowledge, but part of a scholarly community expected to ask difficult questions and push the boundaries of their disciplines. Speaking on behalf of the deans, she reminded them that postgraduate study would test their limits but also reward them with moments of triumph and friendships forged through shared struggles and collaboration.