AI and Shrinking Revenues Threaten Caribbean Journalism – Regional Media Summit Warns
By: Dacia Richards | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and shrinking advertising revenues are significantly threatening the sustainability and independence of media across the Caribbean. This was the core message as the Caribbean Media Summit 2025 opened on Friday under the theme: “Evolving Media Business Models in Turbulent Times.”
Kiran Maharaj, President of the Media Institute of the Caribbean, addressed media practitioners and stakeholders at the opening session, warning that the deployment of AI — though beneficial in some ways — is “changing the dynamic of how we do things,” especially in journalism.
“For us in media, it’s even more daunting,” Maharaj said, stressing that AI, combined with frequent natural disasters and unstable business models, poses an existential threat to Caribbean journalism.
Maharaj emphasized the urgent need for reimagining media economics, particularly as many regional outlets struggle to stay afloat amid rising digital demands and audience fragmentation.
Joining Maharaj in the call for industry reform, Nazima Raghubir, President of the Guyana Press Association, noted that rapid technological advancements are forcing newsrooms across the region to adapt their operations, retrain their staff, and rethink their funding models.
“These factors have significantly impacted how journalism is practiced and how media houses sustain their operatives,” Raghubir explained.
She called for a collaborative regional approach to ensure that Caribbean journalism remains credible, resilient, and financially viable, especially in an age when disinformation and automation are rising simultaneously.
The two-day summit will feature expert panels, policy discussions, and digital innovation showcases, all of which aim to build strategies for a digitally secure, economically stable future for Caribbean media.
As AI tools increasingly become part of editorial workflows—from content generation to audience analytics—journalists are urged to balance innovation with ethical safeguards that preserve editorial independence and protect press freedom.
