Youth and AI

By Jarrel De Matas

To create a future with AI where human wellbeing and happiness take centre stage, we must collaborate internationally with young people because they will be the main users of AI in 2050.

United Nations ‘A Future with AI – Voices of Global Youth’ Final Report 2022

As indicated by the United Nations 2022 report, youth input involving artificial intelligence (AI) technology is critically important given that young people will be the ones whose lives are most impacted by such technology in the future. The report surveyed two hundred and fifty-four young people from thirty-six countries. Key findings from the report reveal an overwhelmingly positive perception of AI and robots among youth (93.2 percent), with more than two-thirds (68 percent) stating they generally trust AI, and approximately 80 percent saying they interact with AI multiple times a day.

The favorable attitudes toward AI expressed in the 2022 UN report prove that the landscape is primed for young people to seize the opportunities provided by emerging technologies.

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, sectors involved in education, the arts, law, and medicine were particularly at their wit’s end with trying to grasp the potential impacts on job security. In some aspects, ChatGPT was considered nothing more than a glorified chatbot, the kind you might have encountered as an automated pop-up after accessing a website.

In other aspects, however, ChatGPT is much more advanced. The Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) model used by ChatGPT is what makes it unique. Since the GPT-3 version emerged in November 2022, more advanced versions such as GPT-4 have been developed which unlike its predecessor is multimodal –capable of analysing images and voice in addition to text. The evolution of each successive GPT version is a testament to how rapid the developments in technology occur.

Just two months after the launch of ChatGPT, the number of active users amounted to 100 million, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. To put this into context, it took TikTok approximately nine months after its global launch to reach 100 million users and Instagram two and a half years.

With the current state of new technologies developing and evolving at such a rapid pace, empowering users to adapt these technologies to their daily lives and prospective careers is crucial. As indicated by the UN report, youth development can only be sufficiently approached alongside investments in digitisation that place young people at the center.

A Perilous Journey

Because the way of doing business now and in the future must necessarily involve the use of AI technology to ensure organizational sustainability and relevance, organisations will increasingly find themselves pressed for talent acquisition and retention as it relates specifically to tech skills.

Businesses should interweave in their strategic plan a way to leverage youth involvement in AI operations and the development of AI applications. Given that young people are viewed as ‘digital natives’ and therefore naturally predisposed to navigating technological systems, businesses can maximize their clientele outreach through chatbots that offer 24/7 customer support. Customer engagement can also be improved through Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Immersive experiences that enable customers to ‘visit’ virtual showrooms and preview what products might look like in their homes or offices, will improve the product experience.

With the promise of an ever-evolving digital economy, businesses that can keep up with evolving technological trends will be in a prime position to gain a competitive advantage. Currently underway in Silicon Valley, California is an ambitious AI startup called Induced AI. Founded by teenagers Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak, Induced AI has secured an investment of USD 2.3 million to achieve its mission of assisting businesses with automating workflows to streamline operations. The platform enables businesses to input their workflows which are converted into code and thereafter executed remotely.

On a broader level, businesses that create a space for young people to exercise their technological know-how through such things as participation in focus groups, product testing, and consultation will empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to start and grow their own businesses.

Youth change-making through digital upskilling

Although young people are considered ‘digital natives’, there must be a concerted effort to develop their digital skills to ensure business operations are sustainable in the long run. Beyond the popularity of artificial intelligence is a pressing need to integrate youth development into the increasing drive toward a digital economy.

In 2019 the World Economic Forum estimated that by 2022 at least 133 million new roles generated as a result of the new division of labour between humans and algorithms. As a result, there has been, and continues to be, a high demand for technical skills such as programming and app development to match the advances in emerging technologies.

Digital upskilling specifically has been identified in a collaborative report by PwC, UNICEF, and Generation Unlimited as a crucial marker of how well economies transition to meet the global demands of climate change. The recommendations for implementing a skills roadmap include the creation of a national digital skills verification trust to centrally track credentials based on national skillsmapping frameworks. The roadmap also recommends developing a skills forum to improve information-sharing among key stakeholders. Such a forum could bring government stakeholders, skills service providers, industry leaders, and others to share information and best practices related to digital upskilling. The forum can further contribute to youth development through support with job searching, career guidance, and entrepreneurship training.

Opportunities for digital upskilling provided to young people will be of crucial importance to achieving the broader goals of national development. Gone are the days when brick-and-mortar institutions. During the time it takes the development of a national skills roadmap, individuals can pursue skills training offered through a partnership between the Commonwealth Secretariat and global digital skills provider Simplilearn. The self-paced e-learning courses target youth between the ages of 15 and 29 in Commonwealth member countries. The 2,000 courses developed in partnership with leading tech industry experts such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are free of charge. Each learner receives a globally recognised certificate for the courses which fall within the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, cybersecurity, and software development.

AI Transformation in the Caribbean

The rapid development and integration of artificial intelligence should not be feared but leveraged. When it comes to young people, the leveraging of AI systems proves fertile ground for the encouragement of youth entrepreneurship.

The splash made at the end of November 2022 by ChatGPT and parent company OpenAI was a signal of just how sudden developments in the tech world can unfold. Opportunistic young people globally have already been at the forefront of AI-leveraged entrepreneurship.

The domain extension, .ai, is a hot property. In 2021, Anguilla generated approximately USD 7.4 million in domain registrations. The island which has traditionally depended on tourism is expected to generate over USD 30 million in revenue this year alone through sales of its domain extension, .ai, which it has sold to individuals and businesses looking to register websites since the 1990s. The overseas British territory in the Caribbean may have gotten lucky because its domain address just happened to coincide with the rise of artificial intelligence. Still, that revenue from the sale of domains to artificial intelligence companies is expected to amount to almost 10% of the island’s total GDP is a sign that the digital market is primed for agile economies to seize the opportunities available.

Tech experts are already referring to the rise of AI as creating a new industrial revolution. Young people especially are poised to benefit from this revolution the most. The increasing accessibility and usage of generative AI

As generative AI, such as the model used by ChatGPT, becomes more accessible and widely used, there will be a growing demand for professionals who can design, develop, train, test, deploy, and maintain generative AI systems and applications. Asking AI applications the right questions and “prompt engineering” will be a crucial skill. Additionally, there will be new roles for content creators, curators, editors, reviewers, and validators who can use generative AI tools to produce high-quality and original content.

All hands on deck

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago cannot be relied upon to solely address the technological needs of young people. An ‘all hands on deck’ approach must be adopted to ensure that young people are provided with opportunities to become technologically savvy in the first instance. Maintaining talent is also important. Finally, there is a need for measures that resolve any disparities that may arise in access and connectivity which can potentially widen the gap between those who have and those who do not. It’s called digital inclusion.

As outlined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), digital inclusion for youth can be encouraged through a national ICTs Young Leaders Programme. This proposed Youth Strategy is grouped under three areas of action: Empower, Engage, and Participate. Each of these areas relies on multilevel stakeholder engagement. As part of supporting youth empowerment, the ITU recommends ICT-related youth programs, campaigns, initiatives, and activities that build communities of future leaders.

Thereafter, young people can be engaged through internships that integrate them into the national workforce in a capacity that encourages them to contribute their ideas to the development of business operations. For this to be as widely implemented as possible, private sector organisations need to be on board with the creation of recruitment pathways for talented and qualified young professionals. To encourage youth participation in the decision-making process, the ITU recommends the consultation of young people to give feedback on how technologies can be utilised to help future generations achieve their full potential.

Similar work such as the recently concluded DIA Summit 2023 in Trinidad and Tobago by The Trust for the Americas, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS), is needed. Hosted by CARIRI (The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute), the local implementing partner of the DIA Youth Innovation Lab in Trinidad and Tobago (DIA Lab TT), the two-day event was themed “Innovative Future Generations” and consisted of four panel discussions.

While platforms for dialogue are necessary, the dialogue must lead to actionable measures. For example, a more comprehensive initiative that also involved The Trust of the Americas was the JET (Jamaican Youth through Empowerment & Training) project. In collaboration with Citibeats, the JET project connects youth with employment and income opportunities, develops and implements digital and soft skills training programmes, and conducts labour market assessment of the demand and supply of digital skills.

Data insights provided by the JET project revealed that the most demanded digital skills are Programming, Web and App development, Artificial Intelligence and Social Media Management. A similar data-driven assessment of digital, entrepreneurial, and soft skills is required as part of an allhands-on-deck approach that is suited to the needs of youth in T&T.

In Need of a National AI strategy

Back to the UN Final Report which I mentioned at the beginning, the top concern of AI technology expressed by the majority of youth was “unemployment as a result of AI”. The concern underscored that the advancement of AI technology brings opportunities as well as risks to young people. The concern of unemployment will affect young people who are not given equal opportunities to achieve digital inclusion. One possible way to mitigate the effects of a digital divide in Trinidad and Tobago is to consider integrating tech education earlier in schools, as early as the primary level.

A national AI literacy programme would go a long way to ensuring a sustainable workforce in an ever-changing labour landscape. It is not enough to prepare youth, and future generations, for careers in the development and use of emerging technologies. Young people must also be educated holistically about the ethical and legal aspects and implications of AI usage.

Currently underway in the United Arab Emirates is an initiative called the National Digital Talent Incubator Program. This program is part of the country’s broader effort to develop nationwide proficiency in AI technology that allows future Emeratis to become future ready. Through partnership with educational institutions, internship opportunities for students will allow them to learn from leaders in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Open Banking, and Robotics.

In the Caribbean region, Jamaica launched its Amber Heart Coding Academy in 2021 to help cultivate local talent in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).

The Amber Heart Academy is the product of a collaboration between the Government of Jamaica and the Amber Group – a global technology company. Woven into the corporate social responsibility of the Amber Group is a concerted attempt to provide skills training in technologies such as Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Mobile Application Development and Web Application Development. The one-year residential training program culminates in a government-recognised NCTVET (National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training) certification. The collaborative endeavour in Jamaica provides a model for Trinidad and Tobago, particularly given that any investment into artificial intelligence, robotics, or other emerging technologies was noticeably left out of the 2023-2024 Budget Statement by T&T Minister of Finance Colm Imbert.

In 2022, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that Digicel Jamaica would partner with the Amber Group to co-sponsor the National Coding in Schools Programme which sets out to develop students’ digital literacy at an early age, from grade levels one through thirteen. The programme will also provide teachers with resources and training to enhance their own coding literacy and technical proficiency. Holness described coding as a foundational literacy that will allow future generations to function in Jamaica’s modern society. The intention behind Jamaica’s National Coding in Schools Programme seems to be a global trend. In India, a national programme is underway called ‘Responsible AI for Youth’ which enables government school students in the subcontinent to become AI Ready. This programme is part of India’s overarching governmental drive toward national e-governance. The program themes include AI in Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, Environment & Clean Energy, Transportation, Rural Development, Law & Justice, and Smart Cities. At the end of the programme, participants are asked to submit an innovative AI solution in a 120-second video.

Activities such as these that educate as well as get young people excited about AI and other emerging technologies must be accompanied by a job market that provides meaningful employment opportunities. In this way, the ‘digital pipeline’ created through digital skills training that can then lead to meaningful employment will ensure that students are kept engaged.

Conclusion

As stated by Eric Parrado, Chief Economist and General Manager of the Research Department at the International Development Bank, AI has transformative power for the Caribbean given the region’s higher threshold for growth. Anguilla has already been capitalising on this potential through sales of its .ai domain. Jamaica is positioning itself to become the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean as it prepares to transition into a digital economy. Any digital strategy, however, has to place young people at the center because it is ultimately they who will form the pool of employable talent for tech companies.