AI regulation in Antigua and Barbuda (2026)

PM Gaston Browne publicly confirmed in 2025 that his administration had prepared draft legislation to regulate AI, with a risk-based approach modelled partly on the EU AI Act. The bill had not been tabled or passed in Parliament as of the latest available information.

Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams announced in the 2025 Speech from the Throne that AI regulation and law-enforcement reform were the government's top legislative priorities for the parliamentary session.

The UNESCO Office for the Caribbean and Antigua and Barbuda's Ministry of ICT jointly produced an AI Readiness Assessment Report, officially launched in June 2025. The report found the country at an early stage of AI development, with no national AI strategy yet adopted, and recommended creating a dedicated AI governance unit.

Antigua and Barbuda is tracked under UNESCO's Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory. The country has appointed an AI policy focal point within its ministry and is engaging CARICOM, OECS, ITU, and UNESCO in regional AI governance coordination.

In the absence of dedicated AI law, the Data Protection Act 2013 and the Electronic Crimes Act constitute the partial legal baseline governing data use and digital offences. The UNESCO RAM identified these as requiring modernisation to address AI-specific risks such as high-risk application impact assessments.

Antigua and Barbuda is participating in the Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap (UNESCO/CTU) and has signalled intent to align its forthcoming legislation with the EU AI Act's risk-tier framework. It is also engaged with the Commonwealth AI Consortium and CARICOM's regional digital governance initiatives.