AI speed cameras, body-worn gear and GiftMe Travel shape Jamaica tech week

Artificial intelligence, police body-worn cameras and a Jamaican fintech expansion led this week’s technology roundup, spanning a Chinese student’s low-cost enforcement tool, local security gear, and GiftMe’s new travel offering in Kingston.

In China, a 20-year-old student built an AI-powered speed camera in nine days for about US$20 in application programming interface, or API, charges. The system spots speeding vehicles, reads licence plates, stores video evidence and automatically drafts fines. After demonstrating it to a city district, he reportedly sold the setup for US$317,000. The episode underscores how tools such as Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5 and Google’s Gemini Omni Flash are pulling automation and conversational video editing into routine work once limited to large engineering teams and public budgets — a model some observers say Jamaica could study.

At home, debate continues over body-worn cameras for the security forces. Officers have argued that a flashing red indicator can make high-risk entries nearly suicidal, while human rights advocates insist, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Modern units now do more than record: they can stream live video to command centres, switch on when weapons are drawn, and use GPS and Bluetooth for coordinated coverage.

The Axon Body Cam 3 adds a stealth mode that turns off lights and sounds for covert recording in undercover work, with stronger audio clarity and night vision. A newer Axon Hero body camera, shown in a product walk-through, supports AES-256 encryption, live video and audio from any location via a GSM SIM, including a global SIM for wider carrier reach, and can be worn on a uniform.

Separately, Jamaican fintech GiftMe marked five years with the launch of GiftMe Travel at the AC Hotel in Kingston. Users can now book flights and hotels while earning cash back, stretching the firm beyond electronic gift cards into a broader digital lifestyle platform. GiftMe reports more than 65,000 active monthly users and US$4.5 billion in transactions processed, framing itself as a one-stop digital marketplace.

CEO and co-founder Rushaine Billings said the idea began in a United States mall when he saw a physical gift card and asked why Jamaica lacked a digital equivalent. "I'm going to engineer and develop this thing," he recalled of deciding to build the product.