AI and its impact on daily life: is it essential?

Developing a foundational understanding of AI

I recently attended the All Party Parliamentary Group for Skills in the Age of AI to share the findings of our latest research on AI literacy. 

Is developing a foundational understanding of AI and how it impacts your daily life really essential? Yes and no. Like everything, the most important thing is that you have the choice! 

It's easy to think AI doesn’t affect you, but in our increasingly digital society, you’re mostly likely interacting with AI without even knowing it. Is your bank providing a helpful way to monitor your spending? Did your social media app of choice recommend a new “friend”? Did your word doc just correct your spelling? (Yes, and thank you!). Did Google just give you an answer without you needing to sift through lots of links? Then you're definitely interacting with AI. 

Does AI impact digitally excluded people?

But what if you have a low digital footprint, and your daily life is largely offline?

It may not be so relevant to those who are digitally excluded at this moment, but it is affecting those who are hearing lots of (mis)information about AI and it's making them even more reluctant to get online. However, knowledge is power! It's your choice what you do with it! 

Trust is essential to helping people engage with AI

So, how do we ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to understand more about AI? At yesterday’s meeting, there was overwhelming support for trusted people in local communities being an essential way of  helping people to engage with AI. And our research supports this.

Having a person you trust talk to you about AI is important - but having a safe space to ask questions and get started is vital! It was great to see so many people championing local community support at the APPG for Skills in the Age of AI.

The National Digital Inclusion Network is made up of thousands of these fantastic organisations. Every day they are supporting people to gain access to the internet, complete online forms and engage with friends and family online. At this week's Network Meet Up, we heard from amazing members of the Network who are already encouraging their learners to use AI, whether that’s to provide interview practice, recommend jobs based on their skills or translate a letter into their native language. AI can be helpful, if the support is there to provide a safe learning environment.

Our recommendations on encouraging people to learn about AI

1. Don’t offer AI skills in isolation, people need some foundation digital skills to help get them started 
2. Introduce AI through practical tasks that support people in their everyday lives 
3. Most importantly, support staff and volunteers in community organisations to develop their own AI skills 

Our new report, Developing AI Literacy With People Who Have Low Or No Digital Skills, explores how we can support people who lack basic digital skills to safely engage with AI. Check it out for our full findings, learnings and recommendations.