Anguilla has an Internet domain called “.ai” which simply names the island as a source of information. But a British Entrepreneur, Justin Anderson, has suggested that it puts Anguilla in a position where it can benefit financially and economically. The benefit can be derived through “Artificial Intelligence”, something Anguilla has coincidently stumbled on through its use of .ai.
Mr. Anderson and his wife, Miranda, were in Anguilla on December 1 as part of a sailing holiday in the Caribbean region. Acting on their behalf, Mr. Lynwood S. Bell, Managing Director of the Span Hansa Group of Companies in Anguilla, invited members of the public and private sectors, including the media, to welcome the couple at a cocktail reception at Roy’s Seaside Grill, Sandy Ground.
The event was said to be an opportunity “for discussions and leadership on the development of ‘Internet of Things’, ‘Smart City’, ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and other global ecosystems where Anguilla is already very involved.”
Mr. Anderson, whose delivery was highly technical, told his listeners in part: “There are two things that I am most excited about. The first is the proliferation of sensors across the planet. These are sensors that are able to pick up everything from information about our infrastructure, our bodily functions, our transport system to our healthcare systems. They can just pull this information in real time out of our environment and then allow us to process it. The predictions are that by 2020 we will see about 20 billion of these sensors on the planet. That will be an enormous number of sensors picking up everything.
“The second area that I think has just reached its critical tipping point – and what has been around for decades – is the area of machine learning or Artificial Intelligence shortened ai. When you connect sensors with Artificial Intelligence, you create some kind of life-form that is able to sense its environment, make decisions, learn from its decisions and acts autonomously to allow us to be able to manage our planet in a
different way.”
Mr. Anderson, who has technical connections with both Houses of Parliament in London continued: “There are huge ethical issues; there are governance issues; accountability issues; there are massive threats potentially to employment with jobs being wiped out; but there are new opportunities as well. What has this got to do with Anguilla? Here is the thing: you guys have a unique resource which I am starting to see being picked up around the world that people are using and you are not benefitting from; and that is your domain name – .ai. Artificial Intelligence companies are using .ai in the same way as 20 years ago when companies started using .com to say they are online and look at what has been the boom there…So Artificial Intelligence has the potential to change the planet. Lots of issues are involved in it. Last week I established an All Party Parliamentary Group in the British Parliament to focus on these issues. It is a group that brings together both Houses of Ministers, Peers, and experts from the industry to understand the possibilities, opportunities, and the threats to ensure that our Government really understands these issues.”
Mr. Anderson went on: “You have the geo-political benefits, the geographical benefits and this resource. You may think it is just .ai… but you have this bea
utiful resource that doesn’t require the island to necessarily gear up rapidly or technically but could, within a short time, with the right research, marketing, and business development, focus on actually establishing a base within the marketplace …bringing people together to focus on these critical issues…
“You can actually move away from a position of a high-end tourism business and tax haven which we all know is being eroded as a benefit to the outside world. You could move towards a place that convenes innovators who themselves could become the investors from whom foreign investment is required in Anguilla, for the next round of growth, and help kick-start the economy in a way that will drive prosperity, employment, and opportunities for education etc…”
Mr. Anderson added: “I have a few ideas about how you can end up doing it, and the sorts of things you would be required to do. My aim was just to share this with you – whether or not you think .ai has a value that is not being realised.”
