Digital inclusion: Preparing for a more digital future

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One in seven people in the UK are digitally excluded, according to research from Deloitte. This means they are unable to access the online world fully, where, when, and how they need. Poor internet access, limited access to devices, and limited access to digital skills education can all exacerbate existing problems such as poverty and loneliness and, for charities, it excludes people from accessing digital services when they may be most in need of them. 

The ever-evolving landscape of digital technology only compounds the issue of digital exclusion. Digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation says that more than 10 million people in the UK lack the foundation digital skills to get online in 2023, while emerging technology risks leaving people who are already digitally excluded further behind without the digital skills or access to keep pace with change. 

So while we champion the use of digital in the charity sector, it is important that we don’t take it for granted and take action to ensure everyone is digitally included before society becomes digital-by-default.  

The National Digital Inclusion Network, powered by Good Things Foundation, provides charities with free digital inclusion services that they can use to support their communities, from online learning platforms to free mobile data. By joining the National Digital Inclusion Network, charities can help their beneficiaries prepare for a new digital future by making digital more accessible for all now.  

Below, we explore two of the biggest emerging digital challenges affecting people in the UK in 2024, the risks they pose to digital inclusion, and, crucially, how charities can offer support in the wake of them.   

What does the digital future hold? 

Artificial intelligence 

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be one of the most talked about emerging technologies since the launch of generative AI tool ChatGPT in November 2022. But it is easy to forget that, for many people, the technology is not yet the gamechanger it purports to be.  

For many charities, beneficiaries aren’t asking about AI because they simply don’t feel it is relevant to them, and many lack the digital skills and awareness to use it. And while AI poses many opportunities for the charity sector, it also risks exacerbating existing divides.  

Good Things Foundation, the charity behind the National Digital Inclusion Network, points to three red flags around AI use and its impact on digital exclusion, including how data is used. Digitally excluded people have a lower digital footprint, meaning that they are unlikely to be included in some of the datasets that feed AI systems.  

“Digitally excluded people’s invisibility in datasets used to train large language models and other AI tools raises red flags about reliability and robustness,” explains Good Things Foundation. “Where AI is used to inform policies and decisions, then these too may be flawed.”  

But AI will have an impact on our lives in the future. Almost two in five charity donors say the opportunities of AI outweigh the risks, according to research from Charities Aid Foundation, so it is important that charities take steps to mitigate the risk of worsening digital exclusion. And some organisations in the National Digital Inclusion Network have already started. 

ClearCommunityWeb, a London-based social enterprise that supports older people, vulnerable adults, and carers to feel more comfortable with technology, has created a safe, supported space for people to talk about and test AI, using generative AI tools to write a letter to landlords, for example.  

Similarly, Swansea MAD, a community charity and digital inclusion hub in the National Digital Inclusion Network, provides AI courses for beginners as part of their work with young people and unemployed adults.  

If charities want to get the most of AI, and ensure they are still working for the benefit of their service users, including in their digital inclusion strategies is essential. AI can transform lives, but charities must ensure no one is left behind.  

Charities can find out more about actionable solutions for enhancing digital access, literacy, and affordability by joining the National Digital Inclusion Network. Becoming a member unlocks free resources & training on delivering and advocating for digitally excluded communities, with an AI series on the way.  

The digital switchover 

In 2017, it was announced by BT that the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which currently powers landline phonecalls, would be switched off in 2025 and replaced with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which uses a broadband connection. 

As 2025 approaches, some of this migration is already happening for people, such as those upgrading their broadband package of moving house.  

But many campaigners point out that the move risks excluding those who are not online, who live in remote areas with limited internet, who rely on their landlines for contact, and who are less able to use mobile devices in the event of a power cut, during which VoIP devices cease functioning. 

While BT and Ofcom are putting plans in place to minimise disruption during the switchover, there remains a significant risk of people who rely on their landlines losing access to the outside world and vital services, such as healthcare.  

Charities, particularly those supporting older people and people living in remote areas or digital poverty, must think now about how they will continue to reach their service users during and after the digital switchover.  

The National Device Bank, provided by the Good Things Foundation, distributes refurbished laptops, mobile phones, and tablets to members of the National Digital Inclusion Network across the UK, enabling more people to get online and access the services they need.  

With one in 14 UK households with no home internet access, the National Databank also provides an alternative, offering free mobile data to people who need internet connectivity. Good Things Foundation describes it as a foodbank, but for connectivity, and there are currently more than 1,900 Digital Inclusion Hubs providing the National Databank across the UK. All members of the National Digital Inclusion Network can access and provide this service for free. 

As with AI, devices and data are irrelevant if people are not given the skills to use them. The National Digital Inclusion Network provides free digital inclusion support for members based in libraries, housing associations, community centres, support groups, local authorities, NHS branches, Community Interest Companies (CICs), food banks, training providers and more charitable organisations. The Network’s free Learn My Way platform helps people gain basic digital skills and improve their digital literacy, with bite-sized topics designed to help beginners who have no or low digital knowledge.  

More than 2,200 organisations in the National Digital Inclusion Network help people in their communities use Learn My Way, supporting more than 70,000 people with growing their digital skills every year. It is a great way to improve digital inclusion and ensure that technological changes don’t widen the digital divide in future.