Carib Scope

分类： technology

  • COMMENTARY: As AI reshapes the future, Caribbean author challenges us to rethink what makes us human

    COMMENTARY: As AI reshapes the future, Caribbean author challenges us to rethink what makes us human

    Across the Caribbean basin—from Dominica to Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and beyond—artificial intelligence is already reshaping daily life, transforming how local populations work, learn, and grow small and medium businesses. But as regional economies and communities rush to embrace the productivity and access benefits of new digital tools, one pressing question has largely gone unaddressed: Are we safeguarding the irreplaceable strengths that make human beings uniquely valuable amid rapid AI advancement?

    That is the core question driving M. Analise Kandasammy, a Guyanese-born author and human-centred futurist, who argues this conversation deserves equal standing alongside popular discussions of digital transformation, economic productivity, and the future of work in the region. With the recent launch of her debut book, *Human, Still: Strengthening Your Mind for an AI-Shaped Future*, Kandasammy is bringing a long-overlooked Caribbean perspective to a global AI debate that has for too long been dominated by Silicon Valley technologists and Western industry experts.

    Kandasammy does not advocate for Caribbean professionals to fear AI or block its adoption across regional industries. Instead, she calls for intentional, deliberate investment in protecting and nurturing the human capabilities that no algorithm can replicate. Her core thesis is simple yet striking: “You don’t need to out-process the machines. You need to out-human them.”

    This message carries particular weight for Caribbean economies, where sustained growth depends heavily on supporting homegrown entrepreneurship, driving local innovation, and developing domestic human talent. AI has already unlocked tangible opportunities across the region: it has helped small businesses compete on a global stage, allowed working professionals to streamline their workflows, and given students access to educational resources that previous generations could only dream of. But these dramatic advancements also raise urgent, underdiscussed questions about the future of critical thinking, independent judgment, and how workers define their professional value. If AI can draft reports, parse complex datasets, and generate creative concepts in seconds, what becomes of the workers who spent decades honing those skills? As algorithms take on an increasing role in everyday decision-making, are populations growing more capable, or just more dependent on technology to think for them?

    For Kandasammy, these questions are far from abstract—they are deeply personal. Her professional focus on AI began in 2022, when she first encountered the technology during her master’s degree studies. It was not until 2025, however, as she watched AI development accelerate at an exponential rate, that she began to question what these changes would mean for her own career. She found herself asking a question that many working professionals across the Caribbean recognize but rarely voice aloud: “Will I still be needed?”

    That personal question, paired with four years of dedicated research into agentic AI, formed the foundation of *Human, Still*. Unlike most popular AI books that focus on how people can adapt their skills to “compete” with increasingly sophisticated machines, Kandasammy’s work guides readers to strengthen the innate qualities that set human cognition apart from artificial intelligence.

    Through her original Uncrackable Clarity framework, Kandasammy explores how people can protect their cognitive wellness: managing mental fatigue, guarding scattered attention in an always-connected digital world, and cultivating sound, independent judgment even when information overload and technological demands feel unmanageable. Her guiding philosophy, “Know Yourself, Navigate Everything,” is rooted in the belief that self-awareness and mental clarity will only grow more valuable as AI reshapes the global economy and daily life.

    For small island nations across the Caribbean, this conversation extends far beyond individual career trajectories. It touches every major sector, from primary and higher education to small business development, public leadership, and how the region prepares the next generation for a future where AI will play an ever-larger role. Kandasammy argues that Caribbean communities should not be passive consumers of AI technologies developed outside the region; instead, they should bring their own unique lived perspectives to the global discussion about how AI shapes people and societies.

    Currently based in Trinidad and Tobago, Kandasammy is building a regional and global platform centered on the human side of AI development. She plans to expand this conversation through keynote speaking engagements, hands-on workshops, and educational initiatives across the Caribbean and beyond. The recent launch of her debut book marks a key milestone in this work, but her larger ambition is to push Caribbean professionals, institutional leaders, and policymakers to think more deeply about the balance between technological progress and human capability.

    As the global race to expand AI’s capabilities continues to accelerate, Kandasammy offers a critical reminder to her home region: progress should not come at the cost of the very human qualities that give work, innovation, and community meaning. While the global future will undoubtedly be shaped by artificial intelligence, how humans think, make choices, and retain what makes us human remains entirely in our own hands.

  • Tesla unveils ‘Flying Car’

    Tesla unveils ‘Flying Car’

    Elon Musk has officially pulled back the curtain on Tesla’s next-generation Roadster, a groundbreaking vehicle that blurs the long-standing line between traditional automotive manufacturing and aerospace innovation, with the entrepreneur confirming the model is engineered to achieve short-duration flight.

    The public unveiling of the two-seat electric vehicle was hosted Thursday at SpaceX’s test and development facility located in Texas, bringing together decades of progress in both electric mobility and rocket propulsion technology.

    What makes this new Roadster unlike any production passenger vehicle before it is its hybrid design: it combines Tesla’s industry-leading electric vehicle powertrain and full self-driving technology with an advanced aerospace-derived propulsion system built for flight. The vehicle already boasts jaw-dropping on-road performance, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under one second even without engaging its flight system – a mark that outpaces nearly all supercars on the market today.

    During a dramatic live demonstration to showcase the vehicle’s unique capabilities, the Roadster climbed an inverted ramp and remained suspended upside down in mid-air before activating its built-in air jets to flip itself back upright and land safely on the ground below. Musk explained that the vehicle’s ability to cling to the inverted ramp relies on specialized suction technology, a feature integrated to support its aerial functions.

    Notably, the development team opted not to put a human driver behind the wheel during the test, as the outcome was not guaranteed. Musk acknowledged this precaution was taken explicitly to eliminate the risk of fatal injury should the demonstration gone wrong.

    A second, equally impressive demonstration followed the first: the Roadster used its air jet system to hover over an entire row of parked Tesla vehicles, before touching down safely on the opposite side. This display proved the vehicle can execute both stable takeoffs and controlled landings from the ground using its on-board propulsion hardware.

    Musk went on to detail the flight-capable system, which relies on 10 individual nozzles connected to ultra high-pressure air tanks to enable even brief flight. The system also contributes to the vehicle’s extreme on-road acceleration, helping it hit the 60 MPH mark in under one second.

    The reveal has ignited widespread excitement among transportation enthusiasts and tech observers, stoking imagination for a future where personal vehicles can seamlessly transition between road travel and short airborne trips to bypass congestion and obstacles. However, the journey from prototype to mass-produced consumer vehicle remains littered with significant hurdles. Key unaddressed challenges include rigorous safety testing and validation, improving the energy efficiency of the flight system to achieve practical range, securing regulatory approval from global transportation and aviation authorities, and bringing the production cost down to a level that is affordable for most consumers.

    As of the unveiling, core details including official production timelines, pricing, and public availability have not been finalized and still require official confirmation from Tesla. If the company can successfully overcome these remaining barriers, Musk’s vision for a flying-capable road vehicle will mark a transformative leap forward in personal transportation, bringing the long-held science fiction dream of flying cars much closer to tangible reality.

  • Tesla unveils what it says is a flying car

    Tesla unveils what it says is a flying car

    In a high-profile demonstration held Thursday at SpaceX’s private Texas test facility, Tesla CEO Elon Musk pulled back the curtain on the brand’s next-generation Roadster, a two-seat sports car that pushes the boundaries of automotive innovation by claiming to offer flight capabilities – a concept long confined to the pages of science fiction and animated entertainment.

    During the carefully staged event, Musk showcased the vehicle’s extraordinary performance, noting it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second, a new record for production cars. The Roadster relies on a system of 10 high-pressure air nozzles and ultra high-pressure air tanks to generate thrust, enabling it to pull off dramatic stunts: during the demonstration, the car used downward suction to climb a steep ramp, hang upside down mid-ramp, spin off the edge, flip through the air, and land smoothly using its air jet system. No human driver was on board for the stunt, a safety precaution Musk explained was implemented to eliminate the risk of fatal injury in case of a malfunction. Acknowledging the uncertainty of the demonstration, Musk told the gathered crowd of Tesla enthusiasts, “Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance.” Later in the event, the Roadster completed a second stunt, leaping over a line of parked Tesla production vehicles using its jets before accelerating to 60 mph in the advertised record time.

    Musk framed the Roadster’s technology as the natural outcome of cross-industry collaboration between Tesla, which he called the world’s top car manufacturer, and SpaceX, the leading rocket development firm he also leads. Production of the revolutionary vehicle is currently scheduled to begin in 2028, though observers have noted that Musk has a long history of missing self-imposed production deadlines by multiple years.

    Addressing the cheering crowd, Musk emphasized that the in-person demonstration was intended to prove the vehicle was real rather than generated by artificial intelligence. “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI. So you guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes, because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe,” he said.

    Despite the successful staged stunts, major questions remain about whether the new Roadster will actually deliver on its promise of true flight. Thursday’s demonstration did not include any test of sustained, long-range flight, and leading aerospace and automotive experts have expressed significant skepticism about the feasibility of a street-legal flying car.

    In recent years, the emerging electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) industry has seen major technical progress, but major engineering barriers still stand in the way of developing a vehicle that can perform safely and effectively both on public roads and in the air. Roger Connor, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, explained the core design conflict ahead of Tesla’s event: “Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that. Inevitably, something that is a hybrid between the two is going to be a poor performing aircraft and a poor performing vehicle, and also quite expensive.” Connor also noted that Thursday’s demonstration only showed short, controlled hops, not sustained flight, adding, “We’re not talking about sustained flight. We are literally talking about hopping.” He also cast doubt on whether a street-legal vehicle like the Roadster would be able to fly in any location a driver might want.

    Other players in the emerging flying car space also weighed in on Tesla’s reveal. California-based startup Alef Aeronautics, which is currently developing its own single-seat flying car, confirmed it has already managed to get its prototype airborne, but its 254-pound vehicle weighs a small fraction of the Tesla Roadster, and can only carry one passenger who must weigh less than the vehicle itself. Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny said he expected Tesla would be able to get its Roadster airborne for Thursday’s demonstration, but that does not mean it has achieved true functional flight. “It absolutely is 100% feasible,” Dukhovny said. “That being said, the hardest part on all eVTOLs, and for us, it’s a transition from rising vertical to moving forward. It needs to be extremely careful, making sure you do not lose lift, and making sure it’s very stable.”

    For now, the world will have to wait to see if Tesla can overcome the massive engineering and regulatory hurdles to deliver a road-legal flying car that lives up to Musk’s bold claims.

  • Liberty Caribbean marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month

    Liberty Caribbean marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month

    As global reliance on artificial intelligence reshapes digital workspaces and threat landscapes, Liberty Caribbean, a top regional communications and technology provider, is kicking off its annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a clear, people-focused message: even in the fast-evolving AI era, human critical thinking remains irreplaceable for robust digital protection.

    Aligning its regional campaign with parent company Liberty Latin America (LLA), the organization has rolled out a simple but actionable three-step framework for both employees and customers to embed into daily digital habits: Pause. Verify. Report. The campaign prioritizes responsible AI adoption, equips participants to spot AI-powered impersonation and suspicious fraudulent requests, and highlights the shared role every person plays in protecting sensitive personal and business data, as well as critical organizational operations.

    Liberty Caribbean operates three major regional brands: consumer internet and telecommunications brands Flow and BTC, and enterprise-focused B2B division Liberty Business, which serves private businesses and public sector entities across more than 20 Caribbean markets.

    A centerpiece of this year’s global LLA campaign was the company-wide Cybersecurity Awareness Town Hall held October 17, which carried the sub-theme “In the AI Era, Your Judgment Leads”. The virtual and in-person session brought together hundreds of employees from across the region to explore how AI is reshaping modern work, and why human oversight remains a non-negotiable component of strong cybersecurity.

    Hosted by Wendy Madriz, LLA’s Communications Associate Manager, the town hall featured a panel of three industry and company leaders: Felipe Ruíz, the company’s Chief Information Security Officer; Johanna Escobar, General Manager of Liberty Costa Rica; and Luis García, Senior Manager of Information Security. During the discussion, panelists broke down how consistent use of the Pause-Verify-Report framework protects the company’s digital infrastructure and keeps all team members protected from evolving threats.

    The panel repeatedly emphasized that standalone technological defenses, no matter how advanced, cannot block every emerging cyber threat. Every employee, regardless of their role, carries a responsibility to question unusual requests, cross-confirm the identity of senders and the legitimacy of information, and flag potential threats to security teams immediately. Integrating these three small steps into daily work routines, they noted, dramatically strengthens the entire organization’s collective ability to safeguard employees, customers, and core business operations.

    Wayne Hull, Country Manager for Flow Antigua and Barbuda, shared that employee engagement with the town hall and accompanying campaign activities was high, as the event created space to turn abstract cybersecurity awareness into concrete, accessible conversations. “As a telecommunications provider, protecting our customers and their personal information is the foundation of the trust they place in our brand,” Hull explained. “We want every team member to recognize that cybersecurity is not a responsibility that falls only to our specialized technical teams. Every decision we make each day – from how we handle customer data to how we respond to an unexpected message – contributes to building a safer digital ecosystem for everyone.”

    Throughout the full month of October, Liberty Caribbean has expanded on LLA’s global campaign with a range of region-specific engagement activities, regular reminders for teams to complete up-to-date cybersecurity training, and targeted digital communications across employee and customer channels focused on promoting responsible AI and technology use.

    Beyond internal employee engagement, the company is also urging its residential and business customers to stay vigilant against rapidly evolving cyber threats, most notably sophisticated AI-powered impersonation attacks and fraudulent requests for sensitive personal or financial information.

    Through its full slate of Cybersecurity Awareness Month programming, Liberty Caribbean continues to reinforce the core idea that digital safety is a shared responsibility. By encouraging every person – team member and customer alike – to pause before acting on unexpected requests, verify information and sender identities before trusting, and report any suspicious activity to security experts, the company is building a more resilient regional digital community.

    ### About Liberty Caribbean
    Liberty Caribbean is a leading communications and technology provider with operations across more than 20 Caribbean markets. It delivers broadband, mobile, video, and voice services to residential customers via its consumer brands Flow and BTC, while its Liberty Business B2B division provides enterprise-grade connectivity, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data center services to businesses and government entities. With a 150-year legacy operating in the region, the company remains rooted in local communities, delivering robust network infrastructure, personalized local support, and customized solutions that meet the unique needs of Caribbean populations and economies.

  • Indotel and Sweden sign RD$44 million agreement to strengthen telecommunications

    Indotel and Sweden sign RD$44 million agreement to strengthen telecommunications

    A new partnership between the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) and Swedfund, Sweden’s state-owned development finance institution, is set to strengthen the Caribbean nation’s telecommunications regulatory infrastructure, thanks to a recently signed grant agreement worth roughly 44 million Dominican pesos.

    The funding will be directed toward two key priority projects within the Dominican telecom sector. First, it will cover the costs of developing Indotel’s 2027–2031 Master Plan for the Use and Administration of the Radio Spectrum, a foundational strategic document that will shape the country’s spectrum management for the next five years. Second, the grant will support the drafting of updated regulatory frameworks governing satellite-based communication services.

    Guido Gómez Mazara, president of Indotel’s board of directors, explained that the upcoming master plan will deliver clear, long-term value for both the public and private telecom sectors. By outlining official priorities for the 2027–2031 period, mapping out existing and future frequency demand across all user groups, and establishing consistent, evidence-based guidelines for spectrum allocation and use, the plan will cut through technical uncertainty for industry stakeholders. This improved clarity, in turn, will create a more stable and attractive environment for private investment in the country’s telecom ecosystem.

    Gómez Mazara also emphasized the growing strategic importance of satellite technology in closing the Dominican Republic’s digital divide. For remote, rural, or geographically challenging communities where building terrestrial communication infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables or cell towers is prohibitively expensive or logistically unfeasible, satellite services offer a viable pathway to connect unconnected populations. Beyond closing connectivity gaps, satellite networks also serve as a critical resilience backup during natural disasters and emergencies, when ground-based infrastructure is often damaged or disabled.

    The new regulatory framework for satellite services being developed under the grant will address core operational priorities. It will establish clear rules to prevent harmful radio frequency interference between different users of the spectrum, ensure that satellite services can operate smoothly alongside existing terrestrial and other communication networks, and lay the groundwork for a market that encourages sustained private investment, healthy competition between providers, and robust protections for end consumers.

    For additional coverage of local Dominican current events and industry developments, visit DominicanScope.

  • DOMLEC plans AI-assisted customer service and faster meter updates

    DOMLEC plans AI-assisted customer service and faster meter updates

    Dominica’s primary utility provider, Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC), is in the process of building a cutting-edge AI-integrated customer information system designed to streamline account access and cut down service wait times for residential and commercial clients across the island. The initiative, which has already been in active development for roughly 12 months, will replace a legacy software platform that has powered DOMLEC’s customer operations since the early 2000s, according to company officials.

  • Create a Time-Traveling Avatar That Visits Different Decades

    Create a Time-Traveling Avatar That Visits Different Decades

    Storytelling has long relied on compelling characters and immersive settings to draw audiences in, and now an innovative AI tool is opening new doors for creative historical and fictional content creation. Pippit, a generative video platform, lets creators build engaging time-travel narratives centered on a custom avatar narrator, bringing bygone eras to life through playful, personal storytelling that works for educational content, fictional series, or casual creative projects.

    Every memorable time-travel story needs a relatable point of view to anchor viewers across shifting settings, and a single consistent avatar narrator fills this role perfectly. Creators can frame their avatar as a curious, opinionated time-traveling tourist rather than a stuffy academic, a choice that makes small, everyday details feel fresh and interesting. The avatar will naturally notice the subtle cultural norms that long-term residents of any era take for granted: the jarring volume of early 20th-century telephones, the leisurely pace of restaurant service in mid-century America, the universal tradition of dressing formally for train travel. Keeping the avatar’s personality consistent as backdrops change creates an engaging contrast that drives the story’s charm. Adding a simple overarching goal—such as collecting a unique souvenir from each decade or tracking down a missing friend across time—turns a loose collection of historical observations into a structured narrative that leaves audiences eager for the next stop.

    For new creators just starting out, a handful of well-defined decades work especially well for contrasting time-travel narratives, each with its own distinct visual and cultural identity:
    – The 1920s: Defined by smoky underground jazz clubs, flapper fashion with long beaded accessories, and an electric sense of post-war social change and possibility
    – The 1950s: Iconic for neon-lit diners, shiny chrome-finished automobiles, and carefully styled conservative grooming
    – The 1970s: Marked by bold geometric fashion patterns, oversized shirt collars, and vinyl records spinning in households across the globe
    – The 1980: Recognizable for bright neon accents, clunky arcade game cabinets, and oversized over-ear headphones
    – The 2000s: Remembered for clamshell flip phones, customizable polyphonic ringtones, and the excitement of early consumer digital cameras

    Creators do not need to include every era to build a strong narrative; just two or three carefully selected stops are enough for a compelling first episode.

    Once creators have selected their avatar and chosen their time-travel destinations, Pippit simplifies the video creation process into three straightforward steps:

    Step 1: Upload your avatar narrator. After signing into your Pippit account, navigate to the platform’s Video Generator tool. Select the AI talking photo function, then upload your avatar image either by selecting a file from your device or dragging and dropping it into the interface. The platform requires images to be at least 256×256 pixels to ensure high-quality rendering, and creators must hold usage rights for any image they upload. Once your image is confirmed, tap “Next” to move forward.

    Step 2: Script and record your narration. Toggle on the “Read out script” function, then input the commentary your avatar will deliver for each time period. Select your preferred language, then test different AI voice options until you find one that matches the curious, wide-eyed tone of a time-traveling visitor. Choose a caption style that fits your narrative, then save your settings. Creators who prefer to record their own narration or use a pre-existing trending audio clip can also upload custom audio directly to the platform.

    Step 3: Export and save your finished video. Click the export button, then rename your file to keep your projects organized. Customize your watermark preferences, then adjust your video settings including resolution, playback quality, frame rate, and file format. Once your settings are confirmed, tap “Download” to save the finished time-travel clip directly to your device.

    Audio design is a critical part of making time-travel narratives feel immersive, and Pippit’s built-in SeedAudio 1.5 tool is designed to help creators craft era-specific soundscapes that make each stop feel distinct. The tool offers four key benefits for time-travel storytelling: it generates matching music, ambient background noise, and sound effects to pair with narration for any setting; it can lock in a consistent voice across all episodes using a reference recording, so your avatar sounds the same even as the world around them changes; it can generate custom audio that matches pre-existing footage or animation of a historical era; and it lets creators time transition sounds—such as the iconic “whoosh” of a time jump or a thematic chime—to align exactly with the jump between decades on the timeline.

    When writing narration for historical stops, creators are advised to avoid overloading scripts with outdated slang that modern audiences will not understand. Instead, a few carefully chosen sensory details are far more effective: pick one sound, one scent, and one everyday object that define the era, then let your avatar react with genuine surprise or delight rather than reciting dry textbook facts. Humor also helps engage audiences—an avatar confused by how a rotary telephone works is far more engaging than one that simply recites a timeline of telephone invention. Creators should always double-check factual accuracy for any dates or specific claims, however, as obvious historical errors pull viewers out of the immersive experience. For creators unsure about specific details, focusing on describing the general feeling of an era works better than making unsubstantiated specific claims.

    After finishing a successful first episode, creators can easily expand their project into an ongoing series. Each new episode can explore a new decade, or dive deeper into a single era—for example, a full week exploring daily life in the 1980s. Adding a running gag, such as the avatar losing a favorite hat in every new era, builds consistency and audience engagement, while a small cliffhanger at the end of each episode—such as a mysterious message arriving from the future—keeps viewers coming back for more. Keeping the avatar’s portrait consistent helps audiences instantly recognize the main character, while changing background scenery and accessories makes the new time period clear at a glance.

    Before publishing, creators should run through a quick pre-publication checklist to polish their finished clip. Double-check that the avatar’s portrait is clear, well-lit, and easy to recognize—this makes the entire video feel more polished and convincing. Read the script aloud to trim any passages that read like dry academic text, then test the video on a mobile device to confirm captions are readable. Ensure the transition between eras is obvious, either through a clear spoken cue or a dramatic shift in background scenery. Keep each stop between 30 and 40 seconds long to maintain a tight, engaging pace, and cut any redundant or uninteresting details if a segment feels slow.

    Time-travel storytelling has never been more accessible to casual creators and educators. With Pippit’s AI-powered tools, a single profile photo can be transformed into a curious narrator that can visit any era a creator can imagine. All it takes is a few stops, a well-crafted script, and a few minutes to generate a finished engaging video. Open Pippit today to start sending your own avatar through time.

  • Cybersecurity experts highlight growing role of AI in digital fraud

    Cybersecurity experts highlight growing role of AI in digital fraud

    Leading cybersecurity and digital forensics specialists from across the Americas and Europe have gathered in Punta Cana for the 10th International Congress of Computer Forensics & Cybersecurity (IFC 2026), where delegates are confronting the rapidly evolving landscape of modern cybercrime and mapping out collaborative strategies to counter new threats.

    This year’s conference has drawn practitioners and policymakers from five nations, including the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and the United States, alongside official representatives from the Organization of American States, creating a multilateral platform to share insights on emerging criminal tactics and forensic investigation best practices.

    A core focus of this year’s discussions is the accelerating proliferation of high-impact cyber threats: from large-scale electronic fraud and identity theft to malicious exploitation of cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools. Experts in attendance agree that traditional cybersecurity frameworks that prioritize only prevention are no longer sufficient to defend against modern attacks. Instead, organizations of all sizes must invest in robust capabilities to detect breaches early, mount rapid response efforts, and conduct thorough, legally sound investigations after an incident occurs. Delegates emphasized that rigorous handling of digital evidence—from proper identification and secure preservation to methodical forensic analysis—forms the backbone of successful incident reconstruction and criminal prosecution.

    Discussions around artificial intelligence highlighted the technology’s dual nature in modern cybersecurity. On one hand, AI offers powerful new tools to strengthen defensive systems, accelerate threat detection, and streamline large-scale data analysis for investigations. On the other, bad actors are increasingly leveraging AI to automate fraudulent schemes, refine social engineering attacks, and generate hyper-realistic synthetic content such as deepfakes that make deception far more convincing and harder to detect.

    Pedro Castillo, CEO of conference organizer TechnologyInt, underscored three critical priorities for the global cybersecurity community moving forward: expanded specialized training for practitioners, investment in advanced digital forensics infrastructure, and deeper cross-sector collaboration between government agencies and private industry. Castillo stressed that 21st-century cybersecurity strategies cannot rely on prevention alone. Effective frameworks must integrate proactive prevention with rapid incident detection, coordinated response, and systematic evidence preservation to support thorough investigations and deliver accountability to victims of cybercrime.

    In closing, Castillo called for sustained regional cooperation and targeted investment in specialized cybersecurity capabilities to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated criminal operations, from digital fraud and identity theft to complex transnational cyberattacks that threaten public and private sector security globally.

  • Dominican Republic issues new rules for state digital infrastructure

    Dominican Republic issues new rules for state digital infrastructure

    In a landmark step toward advancing government modernization and public administration reform, the Dominican Republic’s Executive Branch has formally enacted Decree No. 714-26, a comprehensive regulatory framework designed to streamline coordination of strategic digital infrastructure and cross-agency public sector investments. The new rules address longstanding inefficiencies in the country’s public digital ecosystem, with core objectives that include boosting the efficiency of public technology spending, cutting down on redundant investments, strengthening cross-system interoperability, securing sensitive state data, and guaranteeing the long-term security, sustainability and uninterrupted operation of digital public services for citizens.

    Overseeing full implementation of the decree will be the Ministry of Public Administration (MAP), which has been granted authority to lead end-to-end management of all strategic digital projects: from initial identification and technical evaluation of proposals to prioritization and ongoing monitoring of contracts and investments. This oversight covers a broad range of digital assets, including internal government systems, public service platforms, cloud computing services, and cutting-edge emerging technologies.

    Public Administration Minister Sigmund Freund emphasized that the new regulation represents a defining milestone for the country’s national technology governance. For years, he noted, public sector digital development has been held back by fragmented spending patterns and siloed, uncoordinated investments across individual government institutions—problems the decree is explicitly designed to resolve.

    A key provision of the new rule, outlined in Article 6, formally designates the integration, modernization and strengthening of the Dominican State’s sovereign digital infrastructure as an issue of national strategic importance. All large-scale strategic digital investments are now required to complete a mandatory prior technical evaluation, and most cross-agency projects must include formal inter-institutional coordination or joint management structures.

    The decree also imposes a new requirement for all Executive Branch institutions seeking to acquire complex digital platforms and custom solutions: they must first obtain a formal technical evaluation from MAP before moving forward with procurement. To cut costs and deliver greater value for public funds, the framework explicitly enables coordinated joint procurement across multiple government entities, allowing agencies to leverage economies of scale and generate significant savings for the state.

    To support sustained coordination and implementation, the decree establishes a new Inter-institutional Technical Commission for Strategic Digital Contracting and Investments, bringing together key stakeholders from across the public sector. The commission’s membership includes MAP, the Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Office of Government Information and Communications Technology (OGTIC), the General Directorate of Public Procurement, and the National Cybersecurity Center.

    A core policy priority woven into the new regulation is advancing Dominican digital sovereignty. The framework requires all technological solutions procured by the state to guarantee data portability, cross-system interoperability, and technical reversibility. Explicitly prohibited are contract terms or system designs that create exclusive commercial dependencies on a single vendor or erode the Dominican government’s full control over its own data.

    For contracts involving artificial intelligence and advanced automation technologies, the decree mandates additional critical safeguards. All AI-powered deployments in the public sector must include provisions for mandatory human oversight, full traceability of algorithmic decisions, and transparent operating processes to ensure accountability.

    Importantly, the new regulatory framework does not override existing public governance rules. All public institutions remain subject to pre-existing requirements for public procurement, public budgeting, transparency, cybersecurity, personal data protection, and all other applicable national laws.

  • CaribNOG 32 to focus on Caribbean’s digital resilience

    CaribNOG 32 to focus on Caribbean’s digital resilience

    This week, hundreds of Caribbean technology and digital infrastructure professionals will converge on Willemstad, Curaçao, for the 32nd meeting of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), an event focused on translating regional digital infrastructure discussions into actionable progress and building long-term digital resilience across the Caribbean. Running from October 7 to 9 at the Courtyard by Marriott, the three-day gathering brings together a cross-sector cohort of stakeholders including network engineers, internet service providers, data centre operators, cloud service managers, cybersecurity experts, government regulators and digital policy makers. The event will combine plenary discussions, hands-on technical training, site visits and collaborative knowledge sharing to address the Caribbean’s most pressing digital connectivity challenges.

    The conference follows CaribNOG’s 31st meeting held in Jamaica this past April, which centered on raising awareness of the critical role that robust internet infrastructure plays in the Caribbean’s social and economic stability. For the Curaçao iteration, organizers have shifted focus to concrete, practical steps that stakeholders across the region can take to reinforce that infrastructure, according to Bevil Wooding, CaribNOG co-founder and Director of Caribbean Affairs at the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN).

    “Digital resilience is fundamental to the security, reliability and accessibility of the electronic services we have come to depend on for communications, commerce and public service delivery,” Wooding explained. The event’s technical program will dive into deep dives on the core systems that underpin all regional digital services, including satellite communication links, transcontinental submarine cables, regional data centres and the power grids that keep these systems running continuously. Attendees will also get an exclusive opportunity to tour Curaçao’s major data centre facilities and international submarine cable landing stations to view key regional infrastructure firsthand.

    Curaçao was selected as the host for this pivotal meeting in large part due to its already established role as a leading hub for Caribbean digital connectivity. The island hosts AMS-IX Caribbean, the regional branch of the world-renowned Amsterdam Internet Exchange, and boasts a growing, interconnected data centre ecosystem that serves more than 14 million users across the region, according to Giovanni King, CEO of BlueNAP Americas and Chairman of the Caribbean Datacenter Association. King emphasized that advancing the region’s digital connectivity cannot be achieved through isolated action by individual island nations or private operators.

    “The next phase of Caribbean connectivity cannot be addressed island by island or operator by operator,” King said. He added that long-term goals of regional digital sovereignty and resilience must be embedded into corporate boardroom strategy, updated national regulatory frameworks and core national development planning to deliver meaningful progress.

    Beyond technical infrastructure discussions, the conference will also tackle broader policy and governance issues shaping the Caribbean’s digital future. Executives, regulators and policy makers will hold dedicated sessions on digital governance, building public digital trust, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on network management and cybersecurity. A full day of immersive, hands-on technical training will be offered to attendees, covering three high-priority areas: routing security, AI-assisted network administration, and expanding local interconnection between regional networks. Stephen Lee, CEO of regional managed services provider ArkiTechs, noted that the practical training modules are designed to help attendees turn high-level conference discussions into tangible changes they can implement within their own organizations when they return home.

    The Curaçao meeting also marks a key institutional transition for CaribNOG itself. After 15 years operating as an entirely volunteer-run community network, the organization is moving to a more formalized institutional structure, adding dedicated program management, structured special project teams and expanded research capacity. CaribNOG leadership says this structural change reflects the growing importance of network operator groups as collaborative spaces where private operators, regulators and policy makers can co-develop shared solutions to regional digital challenges. This Curaçao gathering will be the final meeting held under CaribNOG’s original volunteer-led format, making the event a milestone for the organization as well as the region.

    CaribNOG 32 receives sponsorship and support from a range of leading regional and global digital organizations, including ARIN, the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Society, Packet Clearing House, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, Connected Caribbean, the Caribbean Datacenter Association, ArkiTechs and AMS-IX. Registration for the event is open to the general public and free of charge, though all attendees must complete pre-registration to secure access. Full event details and the complete conference agenda are available through the official CaribNOG website.