Digital equity experts consider the potential inequities inherent to the acceleration of AI and suggest how to prepare.
Angela Siefer, the leader of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will create the next digital divide. At the Net Inclusion 2024 event, she emphasized the need for the digital equity community to address this issue proactively. While acknowledging the potential for AI to aggravate inequalities, Siefer also sees an opportunity for digital inclusion practitioners to prepare for the impact of AI.
A panel discussion at the event, featuring experts like Amina Fazlullah from Common Sense Media and Luke Swarth from InnovateEDU, highlighted the importance of engaging with policymakers and the necessity of addressing biases inherent in AI systems. Swarthout emphasized that AI will inevitably affect digital equity, urging practitioners to prepare for its integration rather than opting out, comparing AI to a powerful force with both beneficial and destructive potential.
The term “digital divide” refers to the unequal distribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within society. It encompasses discrepancies in both access (first-level digital divide) and usage (second-level digital divide) of computers and the Internet across various demographics, including between industrialized and developing countries (global divide), different socioeconomic groups within nations (social divide), and diverse user groups in terms of political engagement online (democratic divide). These discrepancies are thought to perpetuate social inequalities and create a persistent gap in information or knowledge between those who have access to and use new media (the “haves”) and those who do not (the “have-nots”).
