The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Accelerator Lab for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and the Barbados Museum & Historical Society (BMHS), with support from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Barbados, will be hosting a free community event on May 16, 2025, focused on discussing the regional implications of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) for the Orange Economy.  

The event is planned during the week of International Museum Day 2025, which falls under the theme of “The Future of Museums.” A.I. is considered one of the latest topics that Museums and indeed the entire Caribbean Arts and Heritage sector must consider as we move into the future. 

More specifically, the “A.I. Symposium on Caribbean Arts & Heritage” event will generate discussion on the critical topics of A.I.’s relationship to digital transformation, art production, Intellectual Property (I.P.), cultural heritage, film & TV, youth, LGBTQIA+ groups, human rights, and archaeology.  

The symposium is the first of its kind hosted by UNDP in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, spotlighting the intersections between A.I. and the Caribbean Orange Economy. Given current technological advancements, there is an urgency for discussion surrounding A.I.’s increasing influence across sectors globally.

The primary objectives of the event are to: 

1. Generate public awareness of the current and potential uses of A.I. in the arts sector.  

2. Create a safe space for dialogue on concerns and opportunity areas surrounding A.I. in the Caribbean arts sector.  

The featured Thematic Panels will include distinguished sectoral experts engaged in discussion on the following subjects with opportunity for audience engagement:

• Thematic Panel 1: Digitizing heritage, digital archival repositories, copyright law and A.I. in the Orange Economy

• Thematic Panel 2: A.I., digital technologies and intangible cultural heritage 

• Thematic Panel 3: A.I. and digital technologies in film and TV 

• Thematic Panel 4: Youth, Arts, Education and A.I.  

• Thematic Panel 5: Gender & LGBTQIA+ in heritage interpretation through digital technologies and human rights and access of A.I. in Caribbean arts and heritage 

• Thematic Panel 6: A.I. and Caribbean archaeology

The A.I. Symposium on Caribbean Arts & Heritage is open to the public. Registration is available April 22 - May 10 via this link: bit.ly/AICaribbeanArtsHeritage  

For media queries, please e-mail: Jordanna Straker jordanna.tennebaum@undp.org OR Annastacia Bernard communications@barbmuse.org.bb