Díaz-Canel Turns to Artificial Intelligence in Quest for "Continuity" and Results

In a bid to appear modern while sidestepping Cuba’s deep-rooted issues, leader Miguel Díaz-Canel extolled the supposed progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) during a meeting with experts and developers this Monday at the Palace. "We should aim to be at the forefront, at least in Latin America and the Caribbean, and we have the capacity for it. We need to lead in this area, which will mean a lot for the country. A nation like ours can develop by applying this, with the ethics, comprehensiveness, and coherence it requires," remarked a seemingly dejected Díaz-Canel in the NTV report.

The learned leader frequently referred to AI simply as “this,” overusing the neutral demonstrative as if it were a child's babble. The language of the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) is crafted at the Ñico López school, a place where intelligence, whether natural or artificial, is the first casualty of the curriculum.

Back in March 2021, Díaz-Canel presented his doctoral thesis titled "Government Management System Based on Science and Innovation (SGGCI)." Four years later, the Doctor in Technical Sciences has yet to master the terminology needed to describe the cognitive and intellectual capabilities of computer systems, commonly known as AI.

"We need to create a culture; we must ask, just like we do with science and innovation, how to foster a culture where everyone thinks that to reach results, we must see what answers artificial intelligence can provide," added the leader of a "continuity" characterized by disastrous outcomes, marked by economic collapse and mass migration from the island.

According to the Presidency’s website, the AI Development Strategy, approved in May 2024, prioritizes applications in sectors like health, criminal investigation, transportation, and public administration. However, the daily reality in Cuba paints a different picture: outdated digital infrastructure, limited internet access, and frequent blackouts that hinder any ambitious technological plans.

Díaz-Canel's rhetoric included phrases like “...this will mean a lot for the country,” while deliberately omitting the context of a devastated economy, where the "internal blockade" caused by governmental inefficiency has been more destructive than any external sanctions.

The "continuity" he has promoted since rising to power in 2018 has only deepened the systemic crisis of the Cuban socialist model, leaving the populace increasingly impoverished and disconnected from the supposed "technological advancement" the government claims.

While the regime celebrates AI workshops and pilot projects, the average Cuban faces more pressing issues: food shortages, deteriorating public transportation, and an overwhelmed healthcare system that once stood as a national pride but now teeters on the brink of collapse.

Ironically, the "algorithms" touted by Díaz-Canel as the solution to citizens' lives cannot address the lack of essential supplies or the growing social frustration. His discourse on AI merely highlights the government's disconnect from the reality of its people.

A regime that prioritizes totalitarian control and propaganda over citizen welfare, and a government focused solely on silencing dissent, quashing opposition, and clinging to power, will never—no matter how much they tinker with AI—solve the structural problems of a system that stifles the individual and civil society, the very foundations essential for the development of a rule of law and the progress of free, open societies oriented towards the common good.