Awakening to a Vanished Reality: Why Safeguarding the Caribbean's Digital Frontiers is Critical

Envision awakening one morning to find every essential service you depend on—banking, government, healthcare, and businesses—locked, corrupted, or entirely offline. No bills can be settled, patient data is inaccessible, flight confirmations are non-existent, ports are halted, and communication is silenced. This scenario isn't merely fictional; it's the tangible, escalating danger of cyber warfare, quietly brewing beneath our Caribbean blue skies and digital aspirations. The forthcoming AI Research Conference embodies a critical urgency, with an essential panel titled AI and Cyber Resilience: Fortifying the Caribbean’s Digital Borders. It serves as a clarion call for leaders and citizens alike: we are under siege, yet perilously ill-prepared. As the Caribbean rapidly adopts digital innovations, inadequate investments in security linger. Undersea cables and vital logistics remain susceptible to attacks, emphasizing the urgent need for a robust cybersecurity strategy. This discussion, featuring experts like Edward Millington and Stephen Lee, asserts that cyber resilience is not a mere IT concern but a pressing regional crisis. If the Caribbean is to prosper amidst AI advancements, immediate protective actions are vital.