St. Maarten Parliament Embraces A.I. theme, but safeguards remain crucial

GREAT BAY--In her address marking the start of the 2025-2026 parliamentary year on September 9, Parliament Chairlady Sarah Wescot-Williams made clear that St. Maarten is entering a new era. Under the theme “Building Digital Trust, Exploring a National AI Strategy, and Open Parliament,” Parliament is seeking to foster greater public awareness of artificial intelligence, strengthen democratic systems, and prepare for an inevitable technological future.

However, experts and regional peers say that though the direction is right, integrating AI must come with robust safeguards to avoid risks, from erosion of trust to inequality, lack of transparency, and weak oversight.

Chairlady Wescot-Williams emphasized that AI is no longer optional. “With the rapid rise of these technologies … institutions … must explore how we can leverage these emerging tools … not only to make information more accessible … but also to strengthen, secure and future-proof our democratic systems.” She noted that AI integration should bring improvements such as greater public involvement, stronger cybersecurity, and improved parliamentary efficiency, stressing that the search for equitable and sustainable integration is essential for St. Maarten’s future.

Globally, the United Nations has repeatedly laid out what such AI adoption must include. The UN’s guidance, such as UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, insists that AI governance respect human rights, privacy, fairness, and transparency. The UN also highlights the need for impact assessments before deployment, mechanisms for accountability, and protections for vulnerable or historically underrepresented communities.

Regionally, Caribbean islands are already experiencing both promise and challenge. For example, the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap calls on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to build inclusive AI policies that protect citizens and preserve cultural identity while harnessing innovation.

Studies such as Integrating Caribbean Realities into Global AI Safety Policies point out serious gaps: many Caribbean Creole languages are underrepresented in data sets, which risks cultural erasure or biased outcomes. The Caribbean AI Task Force launched by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is another sign that harmonizing governance, regulation, and technical capacity is being embraced by multiple Caribbean nations. These efforts show that while no island can adopt AI in isolation, collaboration, shared frameworks, and strong regulatory design are already considered regional best practice.

The Netherlands’ example, via portals such as iBestuur.nl, shows similar thinking. Dutch government bodies are pushing AI strategies that include ethical values, oversight bodies, and inclusive input. Regulatory thinking around algorithmic transparency, control of data, and human oversight is central to how national digital governance is being shaped.

For St. Maarten, the effort to create “Digital Trust” must therefore be more than a slogan. A national AI strategy, as mentioned in Parliament’s theme, should clarify what kinds of AI are meant (e.g., predictive algorithms, generative content, decision-support tools), what ethical constraints will apply, who oversees compliance, how citizens can be assured of fairness, and how negative consequences will be addressed.

Moreover, capacity matters. Adequate resources, technical expertise, legal frameworks, data protection laws, cybersecurity measures, and judicial or parliamentary oversight are all essential. Public participation is equally crucial: citizens should know when AI is used in decision making, be able to see how it works, and have channels for redress when it fails. Otherwise, AI runs the risk of eroding trust rather than building it.

St. Maarten’s Parliament is moving in a direction that acknowledges both opportunity and risk. The goal, Chairlady Wescot-Williams states, is “to look ahead and identify the areas where AI integration is inevitable and … work towards a plan for equitable and sustainable integration.” With appropriate safeguards aligned with UN and regional best practices, the island can leverage AI to enhance openness, efficiency, and democratic participation, without compromising values, rights, or democracy itself.

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