ChatGPT has emerged as Jamaica’s most visited website, surpassing global heavyweights such as Wikipedia, YouTube, and Amazon, according to analytics firm Ahrefs.
The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ranks number one locally but seventh globally in terms of web traffic. In Jamaica, that translates to over 570,800 monthly unique visits – a dominance that experts say reflects a “reverse brain drain”, allowing the island to retain technical expertise that has traditionally migrated overseas.
Ahrefs compiles a top 100 list of most visited websites based on organic search traffic estimates. Updated monthly, the ranking placed ChatGPT at number one in Jamaica for the first time in January.
Its rise is corroborated by another analytics firm, Semrush, which publicly releases data to November. Semrush ranked ChatGPT third in Jamaica, behind Google and YouTube – both owned by Alphabet, valued at US$4 trillion in market capitalisation.
ChatGPT is owned by OpenAI, the San Francisco-based research company led by chief executive Sam Altman since 2019. Microsoft holds a significant stake in OpenAI. The company plans an initial public offering in 2026, with early valuations at US$1 trillion.
This is democratising access to expertise, said Dr Natalie Rose, head of department at the University College of the Caribbean and director of the Internet Society Jamaica Chapter.
“Jamaica is brain-drained and ChatGPT helps companies to become creative and competitive”, she said, adding that while other AI bots are on the market, it remains the top choice among consumers.
Labour exodus
Jamaica has long struggled with the departure of skilled professionals. Between 2011 and 2022, 13,755 people left the island, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica – a modest figure in absolute terms but a significant drain on a population of 2.8 million.
The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT offers a potential bridge for knowledge-intensive work, from coding to regulatory analysis, even as gaps persist in engineering, medicine, and IT. For Jamaica, AI tools provide a workaround to limited local expertise and the high cost of importing specialised knowledge. Yet questions remain about reliability and long-term implications for professional services.
“Universities have not implemented strict AI policies to prevent students and lecturers from using ChatGPT in the classroom,” Rose added.
Massy embraces AI
Regional conglomerate Massy recently announced that it would integrate ChatGPT across its 16 territories and 13,000 strong workforce.
“Generative AI is being integrated into our monthly and quarterly business reviews, improving forecast accuracy, scenario analysis, and operational accountability,” Massy stated in its annual report. “In the fourth quarter, we started group level partnership conversations with OpenAI and Workday, global leaders in their space, which will allow us to have one of the most modern and globally competitive leadership and culture enablement systems.”
For Massy operations in Jamaica, that means the rollout this year of an AI assistant called Angie 1 at its Massy Gas division, aimed at speeding up cooking gas deliveries.
Banks push back
Financial institutions are less enthusiastic. A senior official at a major bank, speaking anonymously, said the company has banned retail AI platforms such as ChatGPT for business use.
“Our primary concern is data security,” the official said. “When employees input sensitive information into these platforms, there’s a real risk that data will leak and be used to train the AI models.”
The caution underscores a broader tension: AI’s promise of democratised expertise versus concerns over privacy, accuracy, and liability.
Perplexity finds its niche
While ChatGPT dominates overall usage, rival platform Perplexity AI has carved out a foothold among local finance professionals. The chatbot ranks as the 10th most used AI site in Jamaica but is number one among finance-related searches, according to the data.
Its emphasis on sourced answers appeals to users who require verifiable information, highlighting how the AI landscape is fragmenting into specialised tools for different industries.
Regional Impact
The trend extends across the Caribbean. ChatGPT ranks first in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands; second in the US Virgin Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, and Suriname; third in the Bahamas; sixth in the Dominican Republic and 16th in Haiti.
