From 23–25 March, the Commonwealth Digital Roadshow in Vanuatu brought together senior government officials from across the Commonwealth, alongside regional policymakers and development partners, to advance discussions on digital transformation and resilience in the Pacific. Kelly Forbes, President of the AI Asia Pacific Institute (AIAPI), participated in the event, contributing insights on how artificial intelligence can be deployed responsibly in fragile and small island contexts.
In her presentation, Kelly highlighted the concept of “digital fragility”; where weak infrastructure, limited data systems, and low AI capacity increase exposure to risks such as bias, exclusion, and external dependency. While AI adoption is already emerging in areas like disaster response, public health, and service delivery, it remains early-stage, fragmented, and often externally driven. This underscores the need to move beyond isolated pilots toward more coordinated and sustainable approaches.
A key message was the importance of prioritising “resilient readiness” over rapid deployment. Kelly outlined a staged pathway for AI adoption: strengthening digital foundations and rights, building institutional governance and safeguards, and then deploying targeted, context-appropriate use cases.
She also emphasised the role of regional collaboration; through shared frameworks, pooled expertise, and coordinated capacity building, in overcoming constraints and ensuring AI delivers inclusive, public-interest outcomes.
As discussions in Vanuatu made clear, the focus for Pacific economies is on responsibly adopting AI whilst being grounded in local context and supported by strong governance, and aligned with long-term development goals.
