Ms. Kiran Maharaj President, Media Institute of the Caribbean WELCOME MESSAGE
Welcome to the Caribbean Media Summit 2025 in Georgetown, Guyana. It is my privilege, as President of the Media Institute of the Caribbean, to extend a warm greeting to all delegates, speakers, and partners gathered under the theme “Evolving Media Business Models in Turbulent Times – AI, Journalism and the Future.” The Caribbean media landscape stands at a crossroads. Our region’s journalists and media organizations face unprecedented challenges-shrinking advertising revenues, the relentless advance of artificial intelligence, and the ever-present risk of natural disasters that test the resilience of our infrastructure and the sustainability of our business models. Between 15 and 25 percent of our advertising revenues are already diverted to global tech platforms, intensifying the pressure on local newsrooms to innovate or risk marginalization. Artificial intelligence, while offering powerful tools for automation, data analysis, and audience engagement, also brings risks - deepening inequities, enabling the spread of misinformation, and threatening the financial viability of independent journalism. The democratization of information access through AI is a double-edged sword: it can empower our societies, but without robust governance, it may erode public trust and the very foundations of our media institutions. This summit is a call to action. We must advocate for equitable AI governance that prioritizes public interest journalism and explore new revenue models that blend innovation with ethical responsibility. Collaboration is essential, across borders, sectors, and generations, to ensure that Caribbean media not only survives but thrives in this “Brave New World.” Our commitment remains steadfast: to defend press freedom, foster media and digital literacy, and invest in capacity building relating to all aspects of journalism and media advancement including media viability and disaster preparedness. The Caribbean must continue to tell outr stories and amplify our news. We must persevere to serve the public good, even in the most turbulent times. Let us seize this moment to shape a resilient, independent, and forward-looking Caribbean media ecosystem. I wish you all a productive and inspiring summit.
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