UWI’s Dr. Letetia Addison is the Grand Prize winner of the 2024 AI Innovation Grand Challenge at the recently concluded COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Dr Addison is a Project Officer II at UWI St Augustine’s Office of Planning, and an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Science, Computing and Artificial Intelligence at UWI’s Five Islands Campus.

Her proposal is called AI4SIDS – an AI-powered platform enhancing climate resilience in Small Island Developing States.

It autonomously collects and processes real-time data from Internet of Things devices, social media, and weather reports using GPT-4 and Whisper.

It also delivers multi-channel alerts (via mobile, TV, radio, and SMS), provides localised educational resources in local languages to help communities prepare for disasters, and uses predictive analytics and automated feedback loops to optimise disaster responses with minimal human intervention.

It was chosen ahead of 114 entries received from 62 countries.

Dr. Addison discussed using AI to combat climate change in vulnerable areas during the AI Session at the annual climate conference.

Her presentation was part of the Technology Mechanism Initiative on AI for Climate Action.

She said, “As a proud UWI researcher at COP29, it was a privilege and honour to represent my team and the Caribbean region, showcasing our talent in advancing solutions that not only safeguard our islands but also inspire hope for a sustainable future in vulnerable communities worldwide. We eagerly look forward to collaborations that enhance traditional early warning systems with data-driven innovations, embodying our collective resilience and ingenuity in tackling climate challenges.”