The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) and StarApple AI have entered into a strategic partnership, combining the StarApple’s world class data science and AI solutions with UCC’s global academic innovations to tackle sports, the unbanked and economic development.

According to UCC and StarApple, with data and technology playing an increasingly important role in the state of the planet, economies and persons’ everyday lives, “an unrelenting drive for innovation and future thinking is required to ensure the Caribbean is at the forefront of global technology”.

They said the UCC-StarApple partnership brings together expertise in data science, entrepreneurship, technology, AI, research and management consulting to make Jamaica the global hub of AI and technology innovation.

“Jamaica’s creativity per square mile is unmatched, we can channel that into a technological renaissance that will benefit all Jamaicans” said Adrian Dunkley, founder of StarApple AI and president of the Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance.

CATALYST FOR REGIONAL CHANGE

He said the UCC-StarApple partnership was a powerful combination and a catalyst for regional change using human-centred technology.

“The UCC is focused on developing the next generation of leaders with transformative education and economic growth as our driver, together we will unlock the full potential of the Jamaican Technology ecosystem,” said Michael Gordon, UCC’s chief innovation officer.

The partnership has reportedly already proven fruitful, with pilots of several solutions including an AI-supported financial aid tool to support working students, a sports lab utilising AI, drones and analytics to forecast game outcomes, and gamified learning labs teaching private and public sector professionals how to easily apply data analytics in their daily work.