Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The skewed geography of AI

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This article cites a new Brooking Institution report that argues "Federal leadership will be essential to push against excessive AI sector concentration." Fair enough, but the recommendations offered are as old as the hills, unfortunately: "Brookings argues for more federal cash to be appropriated for those universities and nonprofit, NGO-style consortiums. They point approvingly to efforts like the Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence." Sorry, no. I've watched such initiatives flounder for decades. To distribute the benefits of technology (or any industry, really) the only effective strategy is twofold: first, enable workers to be a part of the industry from anywhere (or in other words, support remote working); and second, make these places into places people want to live (which means supporting an open, diverse, engaging and supportive community). If you can't do these two things, it won't matter how much money you pour into a region.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 06:40 a.m.

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