Jamaica’s youth are being encouraged to position themselves, as future leaders, at the forefront of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution that is rapidly evolving across all sectors globally.
The charge came from Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Information, Skills and Digital Transformation, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, who said students must seize every opportunity, particularly in their chosen fields of study, to remain relevant in a future landscape driven by AI.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘where is my discipline going? How is AI going to be affecting my discipline?’. You want to make sure that you are at the front of whatever changes are taking place,” the Minister stated.
She was addressing approximately 50 recipients at the East Central St. James Scholarship and Welfare Fund annual education awards ceremony at the Iberostar Hotel in St. James on Wednesday (August 28).
The event was held under the theme ‘Excellence Beyond Boundaries: Celebrating Innovation, Leadership And Achievements’.
Minister Morris Dixon challenged the students to think creatively about their future, referencing examples in teaching and nursing to illustrate how traditionally understood professions are evolving with technology.
“Don’t just say ‘I am going to be a teacher’. Instead, ask yourself how are you going to be innovating in teaching. How are you going to be the leader in new techniques in teaching. Don’t just say ‘I’m going to be a nurse’. Robots are going to be used a lot more in a hospital setting,” she stated.
Senator Morris Dixon emphasised that these areas are being influenced by newness and change, adding that “you want to make sure that, given the honour you have [received] to be chosen to get a scholarship, that you are thinking about how you are going to be at the forefront of all the change that is taking place”.
Senator Morris Dixon said the ceremony’s theme was indicative of the fact that innovation is the driving force of progress.
As such, she urges young people to think creatively about how they can improve existing systems and practices within their respective field in the country.
Minister Morris Dixon maintained that whether in teaching, nursing or music, there are ways to explore how technology can enhance these areas and contribute to new developments and trends.
For his part, Tourism Minister and Member of Parliament for St. James East Central, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said the scholarship fund has a 45-year history, 27 of which are associated with the constituency.
He pointed out that the initiative, which has facilitated scholarships totalling more than $2 billion, has benefited over 5,000 youngsters who have pursued careers as attorneys, nurses, teachers, policemen, soldiers and theologians.
“So, much is on your (recipients) shoulders to carry the next generation of recipients. You will carry them, as the others who have carried you. My legacy is all the people whose lives I have touched, and whose influence will now touch the lives of untold numbers,” he further stated.
This year’s awardees are enrolled in programmes at various institutions across Jamaica.
One of the recipients, Athalia Harwood from Spot Valley, St. James, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to pursue Preliminary Sciences at Montego Bay Community College.
She aspires to become a veterinarian and hopes the initiative will aid her in that endeavour without the financial burden on her family.
“I’m very excited. I feel so special. I’m chosen by God, and I am thankful to Mr. Edmund Bartlett. I never thought I’d be standing here. I am very grateful,” Ms. Harwood said.
