Prime Minister Gaston Browne has urged Antigua and Barbuda’s creative community to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to enhance — not replace — authentic expression.

Speaking at the launch of the Commonwealth People’s Forum Creative Arts Initiative, he pointed to his AI-driven musical persona, “Gassy Dread”, which produces songs centred on climate justice. He said emerging technologies would increasingly shape how content is created and consumed, and argued that individuals may eventually need their own AI personas.

However, he drew a distinction between using and abusing the technology, stressing that local storytelling and cultural identity must remain central to creative work.

“No other industry has seen a more visible transformation from AI than the creative industries,” Mr Browne said, referring to advances in AI-generated images, video and music. He described AI as an extension of creativity rather than a substitute for it.

Commonwealth Foundation Director-General Razmi Farook acknowledged the growing challenge AI poses, including efforts to distinguish between human and AI-generated entries in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

He said the Foundation continues to value authenticity, describing creativity as rooted in “soul” and energy that cannot be replicated by automated systems alone.

Programme Officer Madiha Hussein-Jetha said the arts remain a powerful means of expressing issues such as freedom of expression and climate change.

Mr Browne also encouraged artists to remain unapologetically Antiguan, defending local dialect, cuisine and music as key elements of national identity.