PHILIPSBURG--Parliament has laid the groundwork for greater digitalisation, artificial intelligence integration and paperless operations, with a newly established Digital Transformation and AI Workgroup now guiding efforts toward a more open and digitally equipped Parliament.
Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams outlined the work carried out during the 2025–2026 Parliamentary Year under the theme “Building digital trust: exploring a national AI strategy and further development of an Open Parliament” during Monday’s closing of the parliamentary year.
She said Parliament’s objective was to examine how emerging technologies could be used while maintaining democracy and the parliamentary process, with a particular focus on greater public involvement, stronger cybersecurity and more efficient parliamentary systems.
During the year, Parliament engaged with stakeholders through study visits, conferences and discussions concerning digitalisation and AI.
At the opening of the parliamentary year, Parliament recognised several individuals and institutions for their contributions to artificial intelligence and technology. Those recognised included Ife Badejo, Ricky Sydney, Gregory Richardson, the St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation, the FAVE School Board and Social Health Insurance (SZV).
Parliament also launched a new website, providing information on Parliament’s organization, MPs, public documents, scheduled meetings and live broadcasts of public meetings. Wescot-Williams said the website is intended to bring Parliament closer to the public and will continue to be enhanced.
A Central Committee meeting on October 7, 2025 focused on building digital trust, developing a national AI strategy and advancing an Open Parliament. During that meeting, cybersecurity expert and business leader Gregory Richardson shared perspectives on transparency, innovation and citizen engagement.
Parliamentary staff subsequently participated in a study visit from January 21 to 23 to gather practical models for Parliament’s own Digital Transformation Programme.
Among the potential applications identified were document management, paperless operations, AI-supported meeting reporting and Hansard, automated document generation and a parliamentary chatbot.
The study visit was also intended to strengthen Parliament’s technical capacity and support the development of a more effective, transparent and future-ready institution.
On February 17, 2026, the Presidium officially established the Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Workgroup. The workgroup consists of MPs and parliamentary staff, with representatives from civil society and technical experts to be involved when necessary.
Its responsibilities include assessing Parliament’s current digital environment, supporting a Digital Transformation Programme, recommending AI governance and ethics frameworks, identifying priorities for digital innovation and promoting digital literacy among MPs, staff and the wider community.
Wescot-Williams also reported on Parliament’s participation in a Caribbean AI workshop in Anguilla from June 21 to 23, where participants discussed AI in parliamentary work, information integrity, ethical governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, national AI readiness, gender inclusion and environmental aspects of digital transformation.
She said one of the key lessons was that responsible AI requires an ecosystem rather than a single AI policy. Such an ecosystem would include an AI-readiness assessment, legislation, privacy and ethical-governance mechanisms and strong cybersecurity.
The workgroup has conducted a survey of Parliament’s AI readiness, with the results still being analysed. The findings are expected to be shared with MPs and the public after the analysis is completed and before implementation of the necessary tools.
“Responsible AI requires an ecosystem rather than a single AI policy,” Wescot-Williams said.
Parliament is also preparing for further knowledge gathering through a Caribbean Regional Workshop on applying AI and digital solutions to modernize parliamentary practice. Two parliamentary staff members are scheduled to participate.
Wescot-Williams said Parliament will continue engaging stakeholders and seeking alignment with government, which she identified as the institution’s biggest partner in developing a national AI strategy.
The work is aimed at developing a digital ecosystem that supports Parliament’s modernisation while maintaining transparency, accessibility and public trust.
