UNESCO Promotes Safe and Inclusive AI for Women in the Caribbean

The UNESCO Office for the Caribbean hosted on 9 March 2026 the "AI & I: Shaping a Safer Digital Caribbean" workshop in Kingston, Jamaica, within the framework of the International Women's Day observance.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence, known as TFGBV, including harassment, impersonation, and image-based abuse, disproportionately harms women and girls, limiting their safety and participation online.

Moreover, generative artificial intelligene (AI) can worsen these risks by, for instance, amplifying gender bias and enabling harms such as deepfakes, misinformation, and non-consensual content, reinforcing inequalities.

Strengthening women's awareness and skills is thus essential. In this context, the one-day session offered hands-on insights into how AI can both advance gender equality and contribute to risks such as TFGBV.

More than 50 participants from government institutions, youth organizations, and other critical stakeholders took part in thought-provoking discussions concerning the impact of AI and emerging technologies.

This workshop was a targeted capacity development initiative to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to engage with AI-enabled technologies safely and confidently, underpinned by UNESCO-led research.

The workshop had a hands-on, participatory approach emphasizing a practical application, peer learning, and critical thinking, in alignment with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

Topics explored included why AI matters for women, the role of digital platforms in gender-based violence, opportunities and gendered risks of generative AI, as well as online safety, privacy, and ethical AI principles.

There was at the end an interactive guided reflection on key learnings and identification of personal or collective actions, outlining how participants will apply the workshop's learning in their own digital contexts.