A new report by the EY Foundation, an independent charity supporting young people from low-income backgrounds has highlighted what it believes to be a gap in the current artificial intelligence landscape when it comes to social mobility. The report calls for greater collaboration with AI’s major players to ensure all sections of society can benefit from the technology going forward.
The report, titled AI and social mobility: An opportunity to unlock the potential of young people, goes into great depth highlighting both the opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence for social mobility, and announces a “Grand Challenge” that invites entrants from the tech sector to tackle the question of identifying, “how AI can unlock improvements in educational, skills and employment outcomes for young people from a low-income background.”
Lynne Peabody, CEO of the EY Foundation said: “The ground rules shaping how AI develops are being established now and for those focused on supporting sections of society currently overlooked and left behind, this is a moment to take the action needed to unlock opportunity for all. To do this effectively we must engage with communities directly impacted by how AI is implemented.”
Lack of vital equipment
The major risks to young people from low-income families that could see them left behind in the current technical revolution include a lack of available digital tools such as computers and reliable internet access leading to lack of familiarity with the key AI tools many workforces are currently rushing to embrace. Beyond these simple economic barriers, issues such as algorithmic balance are also examined alongside the potential for inherent bias within trained data.
“Young people are the future of work, and of our society. As we go through this technological transformation, it is vital that young people – from whatever background they are from – are able to use these extraordinary new tools to build a fairer future of better work,” commented Kester Brewin of the Institute for the Future of Work, who are working on a research project with EY Foundation, employers and young people from low-income backgrounds to gain a deeper understand of the issues in play.
You can read the full report from the EY Foundation here.
Featured image: Courtesy of EY Foundation / Creative UK