The Bahamas at the AI For Good Summit and ISO Capacity-Building Workshop

BBSQ Executive Director Dr. Renae Ferguson-Bufford and Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert Onasis Nottage represented The Bahamas at the AI For Good Summit and ISO Capacity-Building Workshop, held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 7–11, 2025.

The event brought together members of the ISO/IEC SC 42 Joint Working Group on AI, where BBSQ plays an active role. The group was established to support global progress on AI standardization through the exchange of national updates and the development of a joint work plan.

The Bahamas delivered a national presentation focused on aligning AI standards with ethical governance and national priorities. The delegation also worked with international experts to review technical standards and discuss policy approaches.

The workshop featured sessions on the role of standards in implementing global AI principles, trade and regulation, human rights, ethics, and capacity-building for developing countries. Participants engaged in hands-on activities to draft national AI standardization strategies and align them with policy and regulatory frameworks.

The AI For Good Summit also showcased emerging AI technologies with potential to transform sectors such as healthcare, transportation, and education.

This engagement supports the work of BBSQ’s AI Technical Committee, which is focused on ensuring that AI technologies are safe, ethical, and beneficial to Bahamian society.
The Joint Working Group will reconvene in December to begin structuring a roadmap that brings together National Standards Bodies and regulatory agencies to establish a unified regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence.

Standards Officer Alexander King from the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) recently attended the 2025 Go-YEEP (Youth Engineer Exchange Program), a fully sponsored initiative hosted by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC). The training took place from June 27 to July 4 in Ningbo, Tianjin, and Beijing, China.

The program brought together delegates from 25 countries and focused on fostering global collaboration around electric vehicle manufacturing and automotive standardization. Participants engaged in technical tours of CATARC’s headquarters and vehicle testing facilities, and attended sessions led by organizations such as the International Road Union and the United Nations.

Through this experience, BBSQ gained valuable insight into how China develops its automotive standards in cooperation with international bodies like ISO and IEC. The training also highlighted how different countries tailor their standards to suit local infrastructure and road conditions.

As The Bahamas continues to import Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles, access to this knowledge is especially timely. The lessons learned will help inform BBSQ’s approach to evaluating vehicle standards and contribute to strengthening the country’s automotive quality and safety framework.