AI and the Caribbean storyteller: Amplifying voices, not replacing them

At the AI Tools for Caribbean Storytelling workshop held on Wednesday at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI), the message was clear: artificial intelligence is not here to erase Caribbean creativity, it’s here to amplify it.

Rivelino Simmons, managing director at Riveting Media Inc. and the session’s main facilitator, urged film-makers, broadcasters, and creatives across the region to stop fearing AI and start mastering it.

“Looking at the business now, these tools give us the opportunity to compete with the rest of the world even when resources may be limited,” Simmons said. “In six months to a year, you’re going to have youngsters sitting in their rooms creating the equivalent of a Game of Thrones, a Star Trek, or even a Marvel movie. There’s a world of possibilities within AI.”

He stressed that AI is far more than the popular ChatGPT. “There’s Rubbish, Claude, Suno, HeyGen, ElevenLabs. There are animation tools, visual tools, and audio tools. They’re all there, we just have to use them.”

During the session, he gave live demonstrations of platforms like Suno, which can create full soundtracks from simple prompts, and HeyGen, a tool for hyper-realistic avatars and video translators.

Others, like Runway ML, Showrunner, NanoBanana, LTX Studio, and ElevenLabs, also got their time in the spotlight. Each tool showcased how cost barriers that once stifled regional storytelling could now be bypassed with the right knowledge.

However, the excitement came with hesitation. Participants raised tough questions about whether AI might erase the authenticity of Caribbean filmmaking or stifle creative expression.

For Simmons, the opposite is true. “AI is perfect for our stories. Writers can create content for us, and we can share our culture with the world in our own voice. AI isn’t here to replace us; it’s a tool to help us create what we want, using our Caribbean feel, voice, and nuances,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by a participant named Michael, who compared today’s AI fears to the scepticism that surrounded computers during the dawn of the digital age.

“All it takes is training and retraining yourself. Back then, people thought technology would wipe out jobs, but it created new opportunities. We can do the same with AI.”

Another perspective came from Simon Baptiste, CEO of Trinidadian music and film agency Question Mark Entertainment, who told the audience, “Don’t let AI intimidate you. You bring creativity and a perspective it doesn’t have. AI is just a tool; it doesn’t have a soul, so we need to learn how to use it to our advantage.”

The workshop also highlighted the initiative One Degree of Separation, a network founded two years ago by Simmons and Baptiste. The group has grown to over 1 000 film-makers  and creatives from across the Caribbean and diaspora who collaborate on projects, share tools, and host workshops. For Simmons, it’s part of a broader push to prepare Caribbean creators for the shifts already reshaping the global film industry.

While some participants worried that AI might blunt creativity or dilute cultural identity, Simmons saw opportunity. “What do we produce now in the Caribbean? Mostly documentaries, because that’s what the budget allows,” he said.

“AI tools open new doors. Imagine needing $20 million to make the film you want…now you can create it from your own room,” he continued.

Simmons also noted that distribution is no longer confined to the region; he believes that with the right tools, Caribbean stories rooted in local culture and identity can reach audiences around the globe.

For Simmons, the path forward is straightforward: learn, experiment, and master the tools. “If you learn prompt engineering, it will improve every aspect of your work,” he advised. “AI doesn’t erase us, it’s here to help us tell our stories in our own voice and take them further than ever before.”

brittanybrewster@barbadostoday.bb