Facing ad hoc AI adoption across departments, the Cayman Islands government drafted a policy barring any AI system from being procured, piloted or deployed without coordinated review of cybersecurity, legal, data-protection, risk and architecture, ahead of 2027 AI legislation.
Details
Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Cayman Islands Government — National Digital Transformation Strategy Task Force
Period
2025–present
Keywords
public administration, digital government, AI governance, regulatory policy
Context
As individual Cayman Islands government departments began experimenting with AI tools independently, the National Digital Transformation Strategy Task Force set out interim guardrails while formal legislation was still being drafted.
Activities
Under the resulting internal AI policy, no government entity may procure, pilot or deploy an AI system without a coordinated review covering cybersecurity, legal compliance, data protection, risk assessment and architectural alignment; the policy prohibits unauthorised deployment and use of high-risk AI applications without approval.
Conclusions
The policy remained in its final stages of approval rather than formally adopted law, meaning departments were already piloting AI tools under interim, non-statutory guardrails; dedicated AI legislation is targeted for 2027.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
National Digital Transformation Strategy Task Force (chaired by Cristina Spratt)
Conditions for success
Finalising 2027 legislation
Cross-department review coordination
Common failure modes
Interim non-statutory guardrails leave an acknowledged enforcement gap
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