Recently, I overheard part of a conversation between two men walking down my street in NY. They were talking about developing their business and one said to the other very casually “Yea, that is definitely something we should have a conversation with the (Artificial Intelligence)AI about.” It was not met with incredulity, dismissal or contempt by his compadre but with firm agreement. AI is very much here to stay and my mind asks whether Vincentians are taking full advantage of its use.
How is it being used?
AI is an incredible probabilistic tool that is already changing many parts of society. Its uses are wide, interesting and some very concerning. From being able to make a logo in seconds to convincingly being able to alter CCTV video evidence. From AI videos tricking older folks and tricking young people into thinking a particular way or simply being entertained. From AI generated music destroying
From Pastors using it to generate entire sermons, photographers and video editors using it to create entire movies to songwriters and DJs creating the next generation of AI assisted or AI generated music. From reverse engineering code to making websites in seconds. From writing articles to acting as a university professor to review your written work.
How can we use it in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
AI can be incredibly helpful to small island developing states but it must be used wisely. From speeches to writing internal memos. It can be used to aid research but it is not without its drawbacks.
For example, take for instance the issue with the street vending throughout Kingstown. AI can be used by a government department to brainstorm solutions and even generate images of how streets can look with proposed kiosks or other vending station layouts without having to engage consultants.
Its incredible use will mean that the need to engage consultants can be pushed further up the chain of development and reduce the need for more workers. This is, of course, an oversimplification but it is demonstrable that workers who know how to use AI effectively will outstrip their counterparts very quickly. This is an incredible and quite alarming development. Nevertheless, consider how you are taking advantage of this or at least being aware of it.
Have you noticed how well written, formatted, coherent and put together many articles produced even by media outlets and contributors have become? Many use AI. Why shouldn’t they use a tool that developed countries are using as easily as when Microsoft Word came on stream. The idea here is that you can use it too.
I have listed some “use cases” (or how AI can be used) in this article but my favourite one that every Vincentian should always strive to use it for, is to understand. In all your acquisition, understanding is paramount. This is more than just a google search but AI can package and present results on a topic or article in a way that you personally can understand and this is part of the revolution of Large Language Models (LLM) we call AI. The ability to personalise information to you. I can ask AI to explain an article written by Counsel Jomo Thomas to me as if I am 15 years old or explain what some terms used in Parliament means that I just don’t understand.
Potentially, LLMs can help government departments create draft policies, review documents and even make St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Parliament far more analytical. How? By getting more ministers, their aides to understand policies and documents in front of them. They can ask simple prompts and sit with their internal experts, think, talk about what the AI produces and glean 10x more than before. This is being used increasingly in US government departments and private companies to increase their productivity and their profits.
How you can use it ?
Here are some prompts we can use on the Chat GPT app or website found here chat.openai.com:
Need help marketing a local product?
“Suggest five ways to market handmade soaps to tourists in St. Vincent. Include social media ideas.”
Trying to plan a church theme or youth outreach?
“Give me a church youth retreat theme with Bible verses and icebreaker ideas.”
Confused about legal jargon in a document?
“Explain this lease agreement in plain language. Highlight any red flags.”
Overwhelmed by your inbox?
“Draft a polite response to a customer who complained about delayed service.”
AI is best used to improve what you naturally come up with. Do not use it to replace your mind because this is dangerous, you must still think for yourself. It can make your business seem like there are 3 and 4 people working with you but it cannot replace genuine human interaction. It is a tool. It cannot be a real girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse though there are attempts already at making human intimacy with AI more realistic.
It’s not an entire replacement for most experts as yet. Currently, a company called Data Annotation is running global campaigns to train AI on US, UK and Canadian Immigration. This means that where AI is trained by experts, it is only a matter of time before it replaces the expert in question. But AI can draft a legal complaint, but it is not a lawyer. I have personally seen this be problematic as AI can still give you confidently wrong legal advice. It can explain symptoms, but it is not a doctor. And it will make things up when it’s unsure.
Nothing is private. That brilliant business idea you typed in? It’s logged, and potentially used to improve the system. OpenAI states that it doesn’t sell your data, but there’s no guarantee your input won’t be repurposed, litigation exists for a reason.
It’s being used by scammers. Criminals are now using AI to generate highly convincing phishing emails, fake business profiles, and even malicious code. If you don’t understand AI, you’re more likely to fall for AI-generated scams.
It learns from everything including you. Sharing sensitive or illegal information with AI isn’t just risky, it’s recorded. Some users have already faced consequences for trying to research criminal activity through AI. The warning is clear: do not use ChatGPT for anything unethical or unlawful.
We’re in the early chapters of a genuine technological revolution. Countries and companies are racing to implement AI into education, customer service, government, and beyond. It’s already inside tools like Grammarly, Gmail, and Google Docs. ChatGPT just puts the power directly in your hands.
Vincentians deserve to be part of this transformation, not victims of it. Imagine writing and designing a full newsletter in five minutes. Imagine getting grant writing support without hiring a consultant. Imagine helping your child understand their homework with clarity and speed. These aren’t hypotheticals. They are daily realities for people using AI right now.
ChatGPT won’t fix your life. But it can help you improve how you communicate, create, and think. At the end of the day, it is a tool and tools should be used wisely. While AI does stand for “Artifical Intelligence” and there is nothing inherently artificial about our intelligence.
Chevanev Charles is a Vincentian and US-based attorney-at-law, digital literacy advocate, and founder of The Legal Lantern. He writes about US immigration, Vincentian Law, the intersection of law, technology, ethics, and Caribbean development.
