{"id":233879,"date":"2025-04-22T05:41:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T09:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=233879"},"modified":"2025-04-22T05:41:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T09:41:58","slug":"ai-is-coming-but-workers-must-be-ready-official-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/ai-is-coming-but-workers-must-be-ready-official-says\/","title":{"rendered":"AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready, Official says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready: Hurst Talks Labour in the Digital Age”<\/strong><\/p>

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Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Government Spokesman Lionel Hurst is urging the country\u2019s workforce to prepare for sweeping changes as artificial intelligence and automation continue to reshape the global labour market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Labour Day interview, Hurst pointed to rapid shifts already visible at home\u2014highlighting self-check-in kiosks at VC Bird International Airport and robotic advancements in global manufacturing\u2014as evidence that the digital age is not coming, but already here.<\/p>

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\u201cWe\u2019re seeing jobs that once required human hands now performed by machines. The question isn\u2019t whether change will come\u2014it\u2019s how prepared we are to meet it,\u201d Hurst said.<\/p>

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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. \u201cYou don\u2019t pay Social Security for a robot,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>

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For Hurst, the answer lies in education and upskilling. He stressed that the new generation of trade unionists\u2014many entering the workforce with formal degrees\u2014must continue the legacy of lifelong learning championed by their forebears, many of whom were self-taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must be proactive. Workers of tomorrow will need digital fluency, adaptability, and a mindset ready for continuous transformation,\u201d he said.<\/p>

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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\u2014but, Hurst insists, it\u2019s also a prompt to prepare for the future.<\/p>

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“AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready: Hurst Talks Labour in the Digital Age” Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Government Spokesman Lionel Hurst is urging the country\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":213925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-233879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready, Official says - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/ai-is-coming-but-workers-must-be-ready-official-says\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready, Official says\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“AI is Coming, But Workers Must Be Ready: Hurst Talks Labour in the Digital Age” Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Government Spokesman Lionel Hurst is urging the country\u2019s workforce to prepare for sweeping changes as artificial intelligence and automation continue to reshape the global labour market. 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