NJIT Senior Earns Fulbright Award to Help Jamaica Build AI in Its Own Voice

NJIT Senior Earns Fulbright Award to Help Jamaica Build AI in Its Own Voice

https://news.njit.edu/njit-senior-earns-fulbright-award-help-jamaica-build-ai-its-own-voice

Publish Date: 2026-05-04 16:13:00

Source Domain: news.njit.edu

Key Points:

• Fulbright Recipient’s Journey:

  • NJIT graduate Naketa “KET-A” Williams has been selected for a Fulbright scholarship and will join Jamaica’s initiative in developing the Caribbean’s first sovereign large language model.

• Culturally Grounded AI:

  • Williams is driven by a belief that AI should reflect diverse stories, languages, and values, especially those from underrepresented cultures.

• IRIS Project:

  • Williams will work with the Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association (JAIA) and researchers at the University of the West Indies to evaluate IRIS, the Caribbean’s first sovereign large language model.

• Personal Motivation:

  • For Williams, this project is deeply personal and tied to her desire to help Jamaica remain culturally relevant in a rapidly changing world.

• Focus on Cultural Authenticity:

  • Williams will study how communities evaluate the cultural authenticity of IRIS and its responses, emphasizing the importance of local input in AI development.

• Community Engagement:

  • She aims to facilitate community workshops where people can compare IRIS’s responses with those of globally trained models to assess cultural legitimacy and trust.

• Cultural Preservation:

  • IRIS aims to help preserve Jamaican linguistic, cultural, and historical aspects, including endangered languages, ensuring they are carried forward and taught.

• Broader AI Impact:

  • Williams hopes this project will influence broader AI conversations, promoting the inclusion of diverse cultural perspectives and fostering hope in the future of artificial intelligence.