Digital Equity and AI in Education

Lauren Lopez
Jul 23, 2022
Beth Havinga joins Scott Meyer's Ed3 Podcast to discuss Digital Equity and the importance of AI in Education
The EdSAFE AI Alliance's managing director, Beth Havinga, joins Scott Meyer on the Ed3 Podcast. Standing at the center of policy, capacity building and AI, working to build solutions that promote digital equity now and in the future, the topic of digital equity is central to the work at the EdSAFE AI Alliance. As Beth notes, there are three levels of digital equity challenges: Access - In a digital world, students need digital access. As COVID showed, this was far more difficult than expected. Environment - Even with access, students need a safe space for learning and studying. They may be sharing devices, not have a family member who can help, or socio-economic challenges that make learning difficult. Bias - Individual technology, such as AI, may be biased or culturally inappropriate for certain learners. Building this technology with digital equity in mind is essential. With these concepts in mind, we discussed:
The importance, and challenge, of digital equity in a digitized world
Examples of digital equity policies around the world
The importance of teacher training and digital literacy
The future of AI in education
How individuals can promote digital equity within their areas of expertise
Listen to the full episode here, or watch the interview below: