AI’s potential and perils: Dr. Jagdeo warns against using old frameworks for new challenges

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) presents both significant risks and opportunities for sustainable development, highlighting that current frameworks are ill-equipped to address the scale and speed of technological change.

In his inaugural address at the World Sustainable Development Summit at the Taj Palace, Dr. Jagdeo stated that global leaders must confront AI’s impact on development if they are to discuss transformation effectively.
He called for practical approaches to support AI diffusion in smaller states, allowing them to leverage new technologies without falling further behind, rather than focusing on full-scale AI development.

“We cannot meet here and not talk about AI. We can’t focus on transformation without addressing the challenges AI poses to sustainable development,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
While acknowledging AI’s potential to drive significant development gains, he cautioned that it could also exacerbate inequalities, particularly in smaller, less-resourced countries, due to its growing energy demands.

Dr. Jagdeo also urged against relying on outdated policy frameworks. “We can’t use old frameworks, old thinking, to address the development challenges of the future,” he added.
He pointed out that countries like India have the capacity to build digital infrastructure, compute power, and AI models, but many nations in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific do not. “These countries cannot afford to face a new development challenge in computing,” he said.

The summit, hosted annually by The Energy and Resources Institute, brings together global leaders to advance solutions on climate action and sustainability.
In 2025, Dr. Jagdeo was named one of 18 global recipients of the Sustainable Development Leadership Award for his contributions to climate and sustainable development.