Jamaican businesses are being urged to move beyond simply adopting artificial intelligence (AI) tools and instead use the technology as a driver of growth, innovation and long-term competitiveness.

The call comes from PwC Jamaica following findings from its 2026 AI Performance Study, which revealed that only a small group of companies globally have been pulling sharply ahead in generating real financial returns from AI.

According to the recent study, nearly 75 per cent of AI’s economic value is being captured by just about 20 per cent of organisations, highlighting a widening gap between companies successfully scaling AI and those still in the experimentation phase.

“Across Jamaica, we’re seeing growing interest in AI, but adoption alone is not enough,” Adrian Tait, consulting partner at PwC Jamaica, said. “The companies that are seeing real value are the ones using AI to drive growth, enter new markets, improve customer experiences, rethink how their businesses operate and not just cutting costs.”

The global research, which surveyed more than 1,200 senior executives across 25 industries, found that leading companies are two to three times more likely to use AI to identify new revenue opportunities and reinvent their business models. These companies are also twice as likely to redesign workflows around AI rather than simply layering the technology onto existing systems.

Assessing cases such as Jamaica where policymakers and business leaders continue to emphasise technology as a key driver of productivity and competitiveness — the findings further point to the need for a more strategic approach to AI implementation.

Director of digital transformation at PwC Jamaica, Hugh Thompson said local companies must move beyond experimentation if they are to unlock the full value of AI.

“AI has the potential to transform key sectors in Jamaica, from financial services and tourism to logistics and the public sector,” Thompson said.

“But unlocking that value requires intentional investment in data, governance, and talent, as well as a willingness to rethink traditional business models,” he added.

According to PwC, AI can help operators in industries such as tourism to deliver personalised experiences and better predict demand, while financial institutions can strengthen fraud detection and improve customer service. In logistics, the technology, it further said, can be used to streamline routing and inventory management, while in the public sector it can be used to improve the efficiency of citizen-service delivery.

The study also found that companies achieving the strongest financial returns from AI are significantly more advanced in deploying the technology. These organisations are nearly twice as likely to use AI in autonomous or self-optimising ways, making decisions without human intervention at almost three times the rate of their peers.

PwC, in a recommendation, however, stressed the need for stronger automation to be supported by effective governance and trust frameworks. The firm noted that leading companies are more likely to have formal responsible AI structures and cross-functional oversight, while employees in these organisations are twice as likely to trust AI-driven outputs.

The findings come as Jamaica moves to formalise its national AI agenda through a government-led task force, alongside ongoing discussions on measures such as a digital services tax. These developments have intensified debate around how policy can be used to support the growth of the island’s digital economy while ensuring accountability and trust.

Looking ahead, Tait said that striking the right balance between innovation and trust will be critical for Jamaican businesses as AI adoption expands.

“As Jamaican companies scale their use of AI, building trust with customers, employees, and regulators will be just as important as the technology itself. Those who get that balance right will be best positioned to compete, both locally and globally,” he said.

TAIT…across Jamaica, we’re seeing growing interest in AI, but adoption alone is not enough