MEDIA RELEASE
13/09/2026
The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Trinidad and Tobago and the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre (AIIC) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), launched the AI Solutions for Senior Executives: Executive AI Readiness and Blueprint Programme at the UN House on September 10th, 2026, at Chancery Lane, Port of Spain.
The programme is designed to help businesses move beyond AI experimentation and identify practical, high-value applications for artificial intelligence within their organisations. Members of AMCHAM T&T were given the opportunity to participate in the programme, connecting businesses directly with the strategic guidance of UNDP and the technical expertise of AIIC. The initiative provides participating AMCHAM T&T members with access to specialised expertise and a structured process to assess where AI can deliver meaningful value within their organisations.
Nirad Tewarie, CEO of AMCHAM T&T, said the initiative helps members navigate technological change and identify practical ways to strengthen their businesses. “The conversation around AI has moved quickly from curiosity to expectation, but businesses need more than an understanding of what AI can do. They need to understand where it makes business sense for them. This programme gives our members the opportunity to work with experienced partners to identify high-value applications, understand the risks and develop practical, responsible solutions that can be implemented within their organisations.”
“At AMCHAM T&T, we want our members to be active participants in the transformation that AI is bringing, and to have access to the expertise and tools they need to turn that potential into real business value,” Tewarie said.
Meanwhile, Ugo Blanco, Resident Representative at the UNDP Multi-Country Office for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, said the programme reflects UNDP’s commitment to using technology to advance sustainable development: “We are committed to helping countries harness new technologies to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Through this programme, we are bringing that commitment into the business community, helping senior executives identify where AI can deliver real value and be applied responsibly. We hope to see businesses turn AI potential into practical solutions that strengthen productivity, competitiveness and sustainable development.”
Also highlighting the need to move from interest to implementation, Ravi Deonarine, Manager of Infrastructure and High Performance Compute at the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre (AIIC) of the UWI, said: “There is a lot of interest in AI right now, but moving from an idea to a working solution requires a clear understanding of the business problem, the available data and the technology needed to address it. At the AIIC, our role is to bring that technical perspective to the programme and help organisations determine what is actually feasible, design solutions that can be implemented, and provide a clear path from concept to deployment.”
A cohort of senior executives from seven (7) companies will participate in the programme for a four-month period between September and December 2026. Participants will engage in executive capacity building, structured discovery sessions, process analysis and AI opportunity screening before developing an AI Opportunity Blueprint for their respective organisations. Each blueprint will outline the proposed solution, data requirements, risks, indicative effort, and return on investment, as well as an implementation roadmap.
The initiative comes as businesses face increasing pressure to determine how and where AI can deliver genuine business value. While interest in AI continues to grow, businesses can face challenges including stalled pilots, investment in low-impact use cases, the use of unvetted AI tools, and limited internal capacity to develop and scale AI solutions.
The AI Solutions for Senior Executives programme represents another step in AMCHAM T&T’s efforts to support digital transformation and strengthen the capacity of its members to respond to technological changes. Through initiatives such as the Tech Hub Islands Summit (T.H.I.S.) and this programme, AMCHAM T&T continues to champion technology as a driver of business growth, competitiveness and economic transformation.
Through the partnership, AMCHAM T&T, UNDP and AIIC aim to help build a stronger pipeline of responsible AI projects within Trinidad and Tobago’s private sector while demonstrating how firm-level productivity and technological capability can contribute to broader economic development.
END.
For further questions or comments, please contact: Nirad Tewarie – CEO | AMCHAM T&T at niradtewarie@amchamtt.com.
(l-r) Ugo Blanco - Resident Representative at the UNDP Multi-Country Office for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, & Nirad Tewarie - CEO | AMCHAM T&T