The AI Global South Summit in St. Lucia, scheduled for Oct. 29 to 31, is poised to be a transformative event that centres the voices and perspectives of the Global South in shaping the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, organisers say.
This inaugural summit, co-founded by Gale T C Rigobert and Kem-Laurin Lubin, aims to address the ethical and developmental implications of AI in underrepresented regions.
By focusing on inclusivity, sustainability, and equity, the summit seeks to encourage discussions that ensure AI serves the unique needs of developing nations without perpetuating existing global inequities.
One of the key themes of the summit is the preservation and monetisation of Creole cultural heritage, which aligns with Creole heritage-month celebrated in October in the Caribbean. The summit will explore how AI can be leveraged to enhance productivity and innovation in the orange economy (art, music, fashion, gastronomy, and more).
“The summit promises to be an intellectual treat with distinguished speakers such as Director General of OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules; Dr. Asha Kanwar, chair Governing Board for the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education; Dr. Hector Paul of UNESCO; Marc Jerome, President of Monroe College (now Monroe University) and Sanovnik Destang, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) among others bringing industry-specific insights to the summit,” a press release said.
Notable contributors to the lead-up to the event include Kim Mallalieu from the University of the West Indies (UWI), who highlighted UWI’s role in AI research, innovation, and education in the Caribbean, and Karlyn Percil-Mercieca, CEO of the KDPM Equity Institute, who emphasised the importance of human equity in AI development.
“I am thrilled that the AI Global South Summit has been themed ‘preserving and monetizing creole cultural heritage’ – a matter of tremendous interest to UWI as evident through our many academic and research programmes, projects, collaborations, publications and community engagements,” Mallalieu said
According to Karlyn Percil-Mercieca, Founder & CEO of KDPM Equity Institute
“Human equity is the crucial bridge in AI development, ensuring that technology draws from our ancestral, cultural, and collective intelligence rather than simulating and amplifying our biases. Without this focus, we risk creating systems that mirror our bias, divide rather than amplify our humanity. Leaders, social impact innovators, and bold dreams must prioritize this ‘human equity’ bridge as a practice to ensure AI serves all people equitably and advances the collective good.”
Rigobert, co-founder of the summit, said the AI Global South Summit represents a groundbreaking opportunity to chart a more inclusive and equitable technological future, ensuring the Global South actively participates in shaping AI’s impact on society.
St. Lucia’s unique combination of natural beauty, cultural vibrancy, and modern infrastructure provides an inspiring setting for the AI Global South Summit.
“As the world increasingly looks to smaller, underrepresented regions for solutions to global challenges, Saint Lucia is proving that it can offer more than just a scenic backdrop—it is a place where important ideas and collaborative solutions are born,” Kem-Laurin Lubin, co-founder of the summit said.
Key stakeholders in St. Lucia, regional organisations, multilateral agencies and academic institutions have lent their support to and endorsement of the AI Global South Summit, in co-hosting and partnering with the organizers of the conference.
The summit’s diverse panel of speakers will focus on critical themes that are highly relevant to the Global South and the Caribbean region’s future innovation, technology in education, and economic growth.
These topics are interconnected, each playing a vital role in shaping the region’s development in the coming years.
‘Entrepreneurs and practitioners in the hospitality and manufacturing sectors, cultural industries and creative sector should find this event to be particularly beneficial and are encouraged to participate,” a press release said.
“Given that education is the bedrock of any society the event will showcase leading figures in the education sector nationally, regionally and internationally. In that regard, the Ministry of Education is earmarked to play a leading role alongside the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, UWI Global Campus, the University of Waterloo and College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of St. Martin.”
This summit also underscores St. Lucia’s growing prominence in global dialogues on technology and innovation, further elevated by the recent achievements of Julien Alfred, the island’s sprinter who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics.