“AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready: Hurst Talks Labour in the Digital Age”
Antigua and Barbuda’s Government Spokesman Lionel Hurst is urging the country’s workforce to prepare for sweeping changes as artificial intelligence and automation continue to reshape the global labour market.
In a Labour Day interview, Hurst pointed to rapid shifts already visible at home—highlighting self-check-in kiosks at VC Bird International Airport and robotic advancements in global manufacturing—as evidence that the digital age is not coming, but already here.
“We’re seeing jobs that once required human hands now performed by machines. The question isn’t whether change will come—it’s how prepared we are to meet it,” Hurst said.
He noted that robots are not only faster and more precise, but also free of the legal and financial obligations that come with hiring people. “You don’t pay Social Security for a robot,” he remarked.
The implications for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda are significant. With relatively small labour pools and limited resources, these nations face the dual challenge of embracing innovation while ensuring their citizens are not left behind.
For Hurst, the answer lies in education and upskilling. He stressed that the new generation of trade unionists—many entering the workforce with formal degrees—must continue the legacy of lifelong learning championed by their forebears, many of whom were self-taught.
“We must be proactive. Workers of tomorrow will need digital fluency, adaptability, and a mindset ready for continuous transformation,” he said.
The call comes as governments across the Caribbean explore policy reforms aimed at building more resilient, tech-savvy economies. Labour Day 2025 may be a celebration of the past—but, Hurst insists, it’s also a prompt to prepare for the future.
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“”You don’t pay Social Security for a robot,” he remarked”
The labour force will be officially reduced
Pay Attention
@ Construct Observer – better still here in the good ‘ole us of a the latest AI trend is college students using AI and photos of their female friends to create AI generated porn starring their female friends.
Ain’t AI great.
So we going to be replaced by robots?
You don’t pay Social Security for a robot,” he remarked. that is the best thing for Hurst to say.. knowing people already struggling with social security?
Is now we finish in that place
Where is the funding for our replacement going to come from?
AI coming? Boss, it already here. Plenty jobs done gone soft already and people still catching up.
Honestly speaking we don’t have to follow what those big cities are doing..
It’s better to stay what working for us now,than put ourselves in danger with Al technology…
Mr.Hurst maybe it’s time for you to go collect your social security while making room for some young person to start accumulating their social security. You shouldn’t compare human with robots after all humans are the ones who have to fix robots ,Robots can never be as intelligence , able to solving situations as a human can. Government should create ways to educate the children of Antigua so they can work hand in hand with The Robots.
One of the few times Lionel Hurst has said any that squares with the facts to some degree.
First AI has been around for 50 years. Gbt in November 2023 released open source versions to the public which give access and allows programmers to build programs using AI.
Yes those AI programs will eliminate jobs. Ai can bring efficiency and productivity.
The self-check-in kiosks at VC Bird International Airport is a simplistic example of digital application. junior high schoolers are programming much more sophisticated programs.
The overuse and the misuse of what is AI
is already common. The GOAB stating it’s going to teach AI at UWI Five Islands to the police.
Certainly they can teach them how to input information and make quires. Ai can be helpful if they have data on crime and crime patterns , group and individual behaviors.
What Max Hurst should be discussing on is the World Bank Report that says Caribbean students are going to be left behind.
We’re the GOAB to adopt a truly digital workforce, it would only need 25 percent of the workforce it has today
That would be a nightmare for a Government whose ability to provide jobs are one of its benefits to its followers
Or… People go on vacation to experience nature and culture not technology. The country could just market itself as a traditional island paradise.
Also… persons not interested in a high tech lifestyle should get together and create their own little communities with traditional work options. Best get started now. That way if and when the high tech society fails there will still be persons well versed in traditional ways who can rebuild society from the ground up.
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