AI is changing our lives. People use it for help with everyday tasks – from online banking to getting creative.
Employers are investing in technology, and for the first time, AI is joining the workforce. With its potential to lift productivity, technology can be harnessed for good in many ways.
But it’s too simplistic to assume that having gen AI at our fingertips will close the digital divide; we are already seeing that those who are digitally excluded risk being left further behind.
The government has taken an important step with its Digital Inclusion Action Plan which is a welcome move to tackle digital exclusion: the first government strategy of its kind in over a decade. The plan sets out ways to improve access to data and devices, skills, digital services and confidence. It acknowledges civil society collaboration, introduces an external accountability committee and boasts five Secretaries of State in its foreword.
While the plan makes positive progress, it misses a critical beat. When it comes to improving digital inclusion, there’s a notable absence of a focus on AI– a gap that could risk deepening the digital divide.
Research from our partner, Accenture, highlights why this matters. The study found just 35% of workers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have access to gen AI tools, compared to 45% of their more affluent peers. Worse still, when these workers do have access, they report using gen AI tools less frequently.
The research also exposes disparities in AI training. Less than a third of workers with low educational attainment received any digital training in the past two years, compared to over half of workers with higher education qualifications.
At Good Things Foundation, we have seen the impact of building confidence with digital basics. With thousands of community partners, we have helped one million people to engage with digital, giving more access to connectivity, devices and better uptake of digital skills.
Accenture recently joined a collective of firms collaborating with government to deliver AI skills training to 7.5 million workers. They also aim to equip over a million people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with digital access and AI skills through their Regenerative AI initiative.
We have both learnt that digital literacy is no longer enough. In today’s world of disinformation and deepfakes, the need for media and AI literacy is crucial. People must be able to recognise AI-generated content, apply gen AI tools responsibly and prompt confidently – whether scrolling through social media, simplifying information or navigating chatbots.
We urge the government to ensure AI skills sit at the heart of its digital inclusion agenda. They can even be part of the solution: AI-driven learning platforms can personalise training and inclusive hiring assessments can help identify potential beyond formal credentials. These interventions are being explored by forward-looking employers and should now be scaled with government support.
The future isn’t just about getting people online. It’s about ensuring everyone has the skills to thrive.
Helen Milner OBE is chief executive of Good Things Foundation Group
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