CIBC's Women in AI 2026: 3 Takeaways

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“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask yourself and others.”
 — Tony Robbins


Last Thursday, I attended CIBC’s Women in AI Event at UWI St. Augustine, and one of the most memorable parts of the experience was the Q&A session.

The room was filled with thoughtful questions on topics such as data collection, AI history, performance metrics, and accountability. It was the kind of discussion that could have easily been its own event.

While many of these topics were already familiar to me, it was refreshing to be in a space with women asking critical questions about the future of Artificial Intelligence.

One question stood out to me most: 

What are you doing to support the community when it comes to AI?

That question stayed with me long after the event ended. Today, I’m using this blog post to reflect on that question and summarize three others raised during the session, blending key ideas shared in the room with my own perspective.

For those who attended, I hope this continues the conversation. For those who couldn’t make it, I hope this offers insight into what was discussed and what still needs to be explored.


Question 1: The Data Collection Problem in the Caribbean

How do we get the data needed to make use of the models to solve our problems?

Answer: 

The Caribbean does not have a data shortage...it has a data access problem. Much of our information still exists in paper-based or unstructured systems, making it difficult to use effectively.

We see this through issues like NIB data errors and the need for people to keep TD4 forms for corrections or reference.

Before AI can solve our problems, we need to digitize records, improve data accuracy, and make information more accessible. OCR technology can help turn paper documents into usable datasets. 


Question 2: History of Technology

Are you okay with the fact that people are being exploited and the environment is being destroyed for the development of AI?



Answer:

I do not support exploitation or environmental harm in any form. At the same time, history shows that major technological leaps are often accelerated by competition and global pressure.

Take aviation as an example. The Wright Flyer in 1903 was a lightweight wooden aircraft with a small piston engine and limited range. A few decades later came metal warplanes like the Spitfire and B-17, built for speed, power, and endurance. Then commercial jetliners such as the Boeing 707 and Boeing 747 introduced turbine engines that made mass global travel possible.

AI is moving through a similar period of rapid evolution. The challenge now is to ensure this technology advances more ethically, sustainably, and with greater accountability than many innovations of the past.


Question 3: AI in School

Are students using their critical thinking skills anymore and how can they use AI effectively?


Answer:

Education is changing in the same way computers changed. There was a time when having more storage was the big advantage. Today, companies race for faster chips, like AMD processors, because speed and performance matter more.


School is seeing a similar shift. Students still need facts, formulas, and fundamentals. But when information is everywhere, the bigger advantage is knowing how to think, question, and apply what you know.

Critical thinking is the new processing power.

AI should be used as a study tool to explain concepts, test ideas, and compare solutions, not to do the thinking for you. Getting an answer is easy. Knowing why it works is what matters.


Conclusion

The value of the event was not just in discussing AI, but in asking better questions about it.

Whether we are talking about data, history, or education, one thing is clear: AI will only be as useful as the thinking behind it.

Its future will be shaped by the questions we ask and the choices we make today.


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