The fever for artificial intelligence is diverting millions in investments towards data centers, while entire communities lack basic connectivity. This disparity reveals a global hypocrisy: technological speculation is prioritized over universal access, perpetuating inequality. Multilateral banks must condition private capital to first connect rural and low-income populations.
Private capital and connectivity as a prerequisite 🌐
To balance the scales, governments must implement tax incentives and risk guarantees that force tech companies to deploy fiber optic infrastructure and mobile networks in marginalized areas before expanding their data centers. This involves conditioning multilateral loans on projects that integrate rural connectivity as a non-negotiable requirement. Without basic access, AI only deepens the existing digital divide.
AI doesn't need the internet, but you do to watch its videos 📹
It's curious that big tech companies promise a future with advanced artificial intelligence, yet still fail to provide a stable signal in peripheral neighborhoods. While they debate algorithmic ethics, there are students who still climb a tree to find mobile data. It seems the future is bright, as long as you live where coverage already exists. Digital progress should not be a postal privilege.