Volume 1, Number 3 · Q1 2028
AI Governance and Sovereignty
Who owns Caribbean data? Who governs AI systems deployed in public institutions? Who sets the rules? Issue 3 examines the foundational questions of AI governance and digital sovereignty in small states.
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About This Issue
The third issue of AIC takes up the foundational political and ethical questions that surround AI in the Caribbean. As AI systems are deployed in government services, healthcare, financial institutions, and educational settings across the region, critical questions arise: Who owns the data these systems are trained on? Who is accountable when automated decisions cause harm? What does a genuinely Caribbean approach to AI ethics look like?
Small states face particular challenges in AI governance. They often lack the institutional capacity to assess complex AI systems, lack the market leverage to negotiate meaningful data protections with global platforms, and find that international AI governance frameworks were written by and for large economies with fundamentally different risk profiles and state capacities.
Issue 3 brings together researchers and practitioners working to define what sovereignty means in the age of AI, and what practical governance frameworks are achievable at the scale of the Caribbean state.
Thematic Scope
The following themes define the editorial scope of this edition. The call opens in 2027. Work on these questions is welcome in the inaugural edition now, under cai.GOV, cai.SOC or cai.INF.
Data Ownership and Sovereignty in Caribbean Digital Systems
Research examining the legal, institutional and technical dimensions of data ownership in Caribbean contexts, including data localisation policies, data sharing agreements with international platforms, and the governance frameworks required to ensure that Caribbean citizens and institutions retain meaningful control over data generated within the region. Particular attention to the implications for AI systems trained on Caribbean data.
AI Policy Frameworks for Small States: Design Principles and Implementation Pathways
Comparative analysis of national AI strategies and policy frameworks, with particular focus on what elements are transferable to and appropriate for Caribbean territories. Research examining the trade-offs between adopting international frameworks wholesale versus building genuinely indigenous policy approaches, and the institutional preconditions for effective AI policy implementation in small states.
Ethics in Small States: Developing Context-Appropriate AI Ethics Frameworks for the Caribbean
Critical examination of whether existing AI ethics frameworks, developed primarily in North American and European contexts, are appropriate for Caribbean societies. Research exploring how concepts such as fairness, transparency, and accountability are understood and enacted differently in Caribbean institutional, legal, and cultural contexts, and what a genuinely regional AI ethics framework would require.
National AI Strategies for the Caribbean: From Framework to Implementation
Studies assessing the design, ambition, and feasibility of national AI strategies in Caribbean territories, including analysis of the gap between strategic aspiration and implementation capacity. Research examining the role of regional bodies (CARICOM, OECS), development banks, and diaspora networks in supporting implementation, and the conditions under which regional coordination offers advantages over purely national approaches.
Call Opens 2027
Register Your Interest
If you are working on research relevant to AI governance, data policy, or AI ethics in the Caribbean or comparable small-state contexts, email us now to register your interest. We will notify you when the call for papers opens in 2027. In the meantime, these subject codes are open in the inaugural edition.
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