AI skills key to closing digital divide

by SAVIOUS KWINIKA 
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – CLOSING the global digital literacy gap could unlock about $3.5 trillion in additional global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, but billions of people risk being left behind as artificial intelligence transforms the economy, according to new research by GSMA Intelligence.

The report, Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era, produced with Huawei and unveiled at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) Digital Learning Week, estimates that 3.1 billion people remain affected by the digital divide, despite widespread mobile broadband coverage.

Some 96% of the world’s population is covered by mobile broadband, yet 38% remain offline, with inadequate digital skills, trust and AI literacy among the barriers preventing people from making meaningful use of connectivity.

More than 90% of the potential economic gains from closing the capability gap are expected to accrue to low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the stakes for developing economies.

The report says AI could help narrow the divide while simultaneously creating new risks.

Voice assistants and applications using images, audio and video can make digital services more accessible to people with limited literacy by reducing reliance on text.

However, wider AI use also demands stronger skills in data privacy, critical thinking and online safety.

Users increasingly need to recognise fraud, misinformation and deepfakes, the report warns.

World Bank data cited in the research indicates that generative AI literacy commands wage premiums of up to 36%, substantially higher than returns associated with digital and traditional AI skills.

South Africa illustrates the challenge. With connectivity increasingly available, attention is shifting towards ensuring people have the confidence and skills to use technology productively.

Huawei has provided free basic AI training to 1,250 small, medium and micro-enterprise owners and 3,140 university and technical and vocational education and training students in South Africa this year.

The report also highlights community-based programmes, including Huawei’s Skills on Wheels initiative and solar-powered DigiTruck mobile classrooms, which combine connectivity, equipment and practical training in remote areas.

Since 2019, Skills on Wheels projects have trained more than 130,000 people across 21 countries.

In Kenya, 79% of surveyed DigiTruck trainees said they had shared newly acquired digital skills with family members and peers.

GSMA Intelligence urged governments, operators and technology companies to make AI awareness, online safety and information verification core skills, expand multilingual conversational services, scale mobile learning and measure outcomes through practical task completion and resilience to fraud.

“Connectivity alone is insufficient,” said Tim Hatt, GSMA Intelligence’s head of research and consultancy, arguing that skills, system design and trust must evolve together.

– CAJ News