NO INTELLIGENCE WITHOUT ACCESS
Why AI’s Future in Europe Depends on the Last Mile. Finlay Thacker-McPherson The benefits of Artificial Intelligence, and the tools that it powers and supports, are significant. In every sector and facet of life, improvements will be felt, and efficiency will be gained. The development of AI is moving in a way that ensures that those who have access to AI tools will be better off than before such tools were commonplace. In this, Europe can play a major role in shaping and guiding a positive way forward for AI development, but its benefits will only be felt if everyone in Europe has access to stable, robust broadband. Not only this, but digital literacy remains increasingly disparate between generations and geographical locations, with this gap only at risk of growing with the increasing adoption of AI-powered tools across all sectors. 34
Without proper care and due haste given to a project to expand accessible and strong internet access to all areas, whilst strengthening digital literacy, there is a real risk that Europe enters a digital future with two tiers of accessibility and understanding. If Europe wants to lead in the AI age, it must first ensure no one is left buffering in the dark. AI-powered tools are hugely beneficial and increasingly becoming totally pervasive in almost every sector and institution. They are also largely bandwidth-heavy and designed for environments that have consistent and strong Wi-Fi connections. While this is the case for most of Europe, there remain swathes of rural and low-income areas that do not have such access.