Silicon Valley AI mission provides SER with practical knowledge for stronger advisory work and a more future-ready Curaçao

Willemstad, May 18, 2026 — The Social and Economic Council of Curaçao (SER) has drawn important insights from the recently concluded AI mission to Silicon Valley for its advisory work and for the broader debate on the future of work, education, entrepreneurship, and public services in Curaçao.

The knowledge mission, which took place from May 3 to May 8, 2026, was an initiative of the University of Curaçao (UoC). The university launched the initiative because artificial intelligence is expected to have a major impact on economically important sectors in Curaçao, particularly financial services and other data-intensive organizations. For the UoC, one fundamental question was central: how can Curaçao use the productivity gains made possible by AI to generate new knowledge, improve services, and foster economic renewal, without losing high-value employment and human talent?

The mission received the support of the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (OWCS), Mr. Sithree “Cey” van Heydoorn. That support was connected to the broader national process surrounding artificial intelligence. The insights gained in Silicon Valley are regarded as a direct contribution to the development of a national AI strategy for Curaçao and as an investment in knowledge, cooperation, and the island’s future. Within that national process, the Regulatory Authority of Curaçao (RAC) has been designated by the government to coordinate, together with relevant partners, the process toward a national AI strategy for Curaçao.

For the SER, the mission was particularly significant because artificial intelligence is not merely a matter for technology companies or specialists. AI affects the way people work, businesses compete, young people are educated, public services are organized, and policy is prepared. The central question, therefore, is not only what AI makes technically possible, but above all how Curaçao can deploy this technology responsibly, fairly, and purposefully.

The mission confirmed that AI offers opportunities to organize large amounts of information more quickly, compare policy options more effectively, analyze social trends more sharply, and strengthen advisory work with a stronger factual basis. For an advisory body such as the SER, this can contribute to faster preparation, better dossier analysis, more careful weighing of policy choices, and clearer communication with government, social partners, and society.

At the same time, the SER emphasizes that AI must never take the place of human judgment. Legal interpretation, the balancing of interests, administrative responsibility, and social dialogue remain human responsibilities. This approach is consistent with the position previously expressed by the SER: AI may be used in a supporting role, but only under conditions of ultimate human responsibility, protection of personal data, quality, integrity, and verifiability.

The added value for Curaçao lies mainly in the practical translation of these insights. AI can contribute to better public services, more productive businesses, smarter use of scarce labor, innovation in sectors such as tourism, financial services, health care, and education, and better preparation of young people and workers for changing forms of work. But this requires clear rules, training, oversight, and cooperation among government, the private sector, workers’ organizations, educational institutions, and knowledge partners.

“The mission confirmed that AI is no longer a distant future, but a development that is already affecting Curaçao,” said Raul Henriquez, Director/Secretary-General of the SER. “For the SER, the key question is how we can use AI in a way that strengthens the quality of policy and advisory work, without undermining human responsibility, legal certainty, and public trust.”

The SER therefore does not regard the mission as an endpoint, but as a starting point for a measurable translation of its insights into the Council’s advisory work and into the broader discussion on labor, education, productivity, digitalization, and public-sector governance in Curaçao. The insights gained will be incorporated into the SER’s further work in these areas.

In this way, the AI mission contributes not only to the internal strengthening of the SER’s advisory work, but also to the broader national conversation on a future-ready, inclusive, and innovative Curaçao’s economy.