As know-how turns into a central a part of how we talk, study, and work together with the world, many college students in lots of areas nonetheless lack the digital abilities wanted to unlock their full potential.
Bridging this digital divide not solely presents a concrete path towards financial prosperity but in addition is foundational to the worldwide improvement of moral AI. Bias in AI can result in unfair outcomes, perpetuate inequalities and reinforce present stereotypes.
These biases could derive from the information used to coach AI fashions, a scarcity of variety amongst builders and assumptions embedded in algorithms.
Digital literacy within the context of AI goes past understanding use know-how – it additionally requires with the ability to have interaction with the underlying fashions, information assortment and use, and understanding how algorithms make selections.
As my good pal and colleague Reggie Townsend, Vice President of SAS’ Knowledge Ethics Follow, succinctly put it, “… the danger of perpetuating and exacerbating social inequity is extremely possible absent these with lived experiences able to informing improvement.”
SAS is dedicated to boosting digital literacy globally, serving to to deal with fast quality-of-life challenges and equipping the workforce of tomorrow with the wanted know-how.
As 2024 involves an in depth, I’d wish to highlight a few of the excellent tasks we’ve supported across the globe to equip youth with superior digital abilities:
Creating future leaders via sensible studying
The Industrial Worldwide Financial institution (CIB) Egypt Internship Program is fostering the subsequent technology of leaders within the monetary and digital sectors by combining theoretical studying with hands-on expertise.
Via this program, the CIB interns gained entry to SAS content material and instruments, permitting them to use information analytics abilities on to real-world tasks. This system has seen spectacular outcomes, with greater than 17,000 college students finishing the curriculum and incomes greater than 22,000 digital SAS Badges to showcase their experience.
Creating a workforce in underserved areas
In Africa, revolutionary coaching fashions are bridging the hole between training and employment. In collaboration with MTN, Africa’s largest cellular community operator, 100 graduates throughout 12 working nations had been skilled. By using native instructors and addressing challenges comparable to lack of electrical energy in some situations, this program made training extra accessible and culturally related.
In consequence, 146 SAS Certifications had been delivered, with 19 college students reaching the difficult SAS Knowledge Science qualification. Additionally, MTN employed greater than 20 college students that participated in this system.
Because of the artistic approaches taken within the two above tasks, SAS acquired the 2024 Innovation Award from CEdMA Enterprise. The premier world group for coaching executives and professionals, this award highlights SAS’ dedication to delivering coaching in AI, analytics and information science abilities to over 18,000 learners in growing African nations.
Making digital training accessible to all
Accessibility is a key problem in digital training. Initiatives just like the sponsorship of the #Coding4Mandela Match in South Africa are tackling this head-on. The collaboration between Nelson Mandela College and the Leva Basis teaches coding with out the necessity for computer systems, thereby making digital training extra accessible.
SAS has proven continued assist for the occasion, reaching 1000’s of scholars throughout South Africa as the important thing sponsor in 2024. SAS is facilitating ongoing studying via the availability of coding kits and coaching periods. The initiative is a tribute to Nelson Mandela’s enduring perception that training can remodel lives and form the longer term.
Advancing moral AI training
To assist construct a extra various, world AI workforce, SAS partnered with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Via this collaboration, SAS donated $10 million price of software program, computing capability and coaching to the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth AI Consortium (CAI). This initiative goals to assist greater training college students discover ways to use AI responsibly.
Bridging this digital divide not solely presents a concrete path towards financial prosperity but in addition is foundational to the worldwide improvement of moral AI.
This collaboration will initially deal with the Caribbean after which broaden to different Commonwealth nations to coach 10,000 college students and educators over 5 years. College students are additionally inspired to realize hands-on expertise making use of their newly developed analytics abilities by collaborating within the SAS Curiosity Cup and the SAS Hackathon.
Shaping a brighter future via digital abilities
Empowering communities with digital literacy isn’t nearly instructing abilities – it’s about opening doorways to alternatives, fostering innovation and constructing a extra equitable future. Whether or not it’s coaching future leaders in Egypt, overcoming challenges to develop expertise in Africa or advancing moral AI training globally, these initiatives form a technology able to thrive in a digital world.
The affect of those efforts is obvious: lives are being reworked, economies are being strengthened, and the muse for a extra inclusive world workforce is being laid. By persevering with to put money into training and partnerships, we will be certain that nobody is left behind within the digital age. Collectively, we’re not simply bridging the digital divide – we’re paving the best way for a brighter future for all.
