World Economic Forum Data Predicts 2030 AI-Infused Workplaces
Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 forecast a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030, even after 92 million roles are automated away. That projection didn’t just make it into my reading list; it became the spine of my April keynote at the AAC&U Forum on Digital Innovation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In my talk, I treated WEF’s employer-survey charts like weather radar for the class of 2030—actionable, evidence-based, and too urgent to ignore.
This week, the World Economic Forum released a new article1 that argues that artificial intelligence and digital inclusion now sit on the same policy fulcrum: get them right and we boost productivity, innovation, and job creation for millions; get them wrong and we sharpen the digital divide. I summarize key points in this post. Apoorve Dubey opens with a stark reminder that:
The richest 1% already hold more wealth than the bottom 95%, so the stakes are existential; AI could “elevate or fracture humanity.
Key numbers give the thesis teeth.
A 10% jump in broadband access lifts GDP growth in developing countries by roughly 1.4%.
Yet 2.6 billion people — one-third of humanity — still have no internet at all, cutting them off from AI’s potential benefits.
Companies using AI have skyrocketed from 20% in 2017 to 78% in 2025, concentrating power and compute in the hands of a few tech giants.
Barriers and bridges.
Three obstacles dominate: infrastructure gaps, affordability, and limited digital skills (the EU wants 80% of its citizens to be digitally competent by 2030, yet Italy sits at 45.8% ). To counter those gaps, the piece spotlights the EDISON Alliance, which has already connected more than one billion people through 200 public-private partnerships and “mobile learning centers” that drive broadband to remote regions.
Policy prescriptions.
Governments should check monopolistic behavior, fund open-source models, and enforce transparency for high-risk deployments (think medical or defense). They must also safeguard data privacy, insist on explainable AI, and cooperate on global standards such as the OECD’s AI observatory. Fail to act, and AI will deepen bias, from warped hiring models to deep-fake fraud. Succeed and we weave inclusion “into the code of a connected world.”
IMHO — Equity & Accessibility in the AI Fast Lane
I read the article as both a pep talk and a warning label. On equity, the numbers are blunt: without affordable pipes (broadband) and people who know how to use them (skills), AI is just another shiny toy for the already-connected. The author is right to celebrate the EDISON Alliance, but let’s not crown it the hero yet; one billion connections sound impressive until you remember 2.6 billion remain offline — that’s two “EDISONs” still to go.
Accessibility gets a quieter shout-out, framed as a “fundamental human right.” I’d push further: accessibility isn’t an add-on; it’s the QA check that forces equity into the design spec from day one. Real-time translation, low-bandwidth interfaces, and AI models trained on diverse languages aren’t tech niceties — they’re the ramps and elevators of the digital city.
Finally, the monopolization warning feels especially urgent for educators like me. When compute power is locked behind a handful of paywalls, academic inquiry and public-interest AI research risk becoming boutique hobbies. An open-source ecosystem, backed by public investment, isn’t socialism; it’s intellectual infrastructure, the library card of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. If we want AI to democratize opportunity rather than digitize exclusion, we can’t treat equity and accessibility as post-launch patches. They’re the build-flags we set before we hit “compile.” — (with thanks to Duncan B. for the quote!)
Dubey, Apoorve. “How AI Can Enhance Digital Inclusion and Fight Inequality.” World Economic Forum, 4 June 2025, https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/06/digital-inclusion-ai/