In an early September gathering focused on 21st-century legislative transformation, parliamentary delegations from across the Caribbean, including a team from Belize’s National Assembly, convened at Florida International University for the landmark workshop *Applying AI and Digital Solutions to Modernize Parliamentary Practice*. The event centered on exploring how cutting-edge artificial intelligence and emerging digital tools can reshape core parliamentary functions, bringing Belize one step closer to updating its legislative infrastructure for the digital age.
The workshop’s curriculum delved into multiple high-priority areas for legislative modernization, examining how new technologies can streamline day-to-day legislative operations, overhaul information management systems, and expand equitable public access to government parliamentary records. Attendees did not only engage in theoretical discussion: the program combined policy conversations, hands-on practical training, and cross-border knowledge-sharing sessions to equip participants with actionable takeaways for their home institutions.
Belize’s delegation was led by two representatives from the Office of the Clerk: Acting Deputy Clerk Manuel Grant and Parliamentary Officer I Tiarrah Bedran. Both took an active role in all workshop activities, contributing to peer discussions, participating in guided practical exercises, and exchanging institutional insights with parliamentary leaders from other Caribbean nations.
Grant took on prominent leadership roles during the event, serving as a featured panelist for a focused session on developing shared standards for legislative digitization. During his panel contribution, he outlined key considerations around common data frameworks, cross-system interoperability, and the critical long-term preservation of official parliamentary documents. He also went on to lead a working group that delivered a presentation and facilitated open discussion on the development of fit-for-purpose AI governance policies for legislative bodies.
Beyond policy and standards discussion, the workshop covered a wide range of practical topics critical to digital transformation, including mass document digitization workflows, maintaining high-quality government datasets, mitigating emerging cybersecurity risks, and aligning with global data standard frameworks. A key hands-on component of the program introduced attendees to commercially available generative AI tools widely used today, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, with training focused on integrating these tools into routine parliamentary work. Organizers emphasized responsible deployment and robust security protocols to protect sensitive government information throughout the session.
Following the workshop, Belize’s National Assembly issued a statement highlighting the long-term value of the institution’s participation. For the Central American nation, the gathering created a critical opportunity to exchange digital transformation experiences with regional peer nations, build internal institutional expertise on AI integration, and identify practical, tested tools that can boost operational efficiency, maintain operational continuity during transitions, and expand transparent public access to parliamentary information across Belize.