Embrace tech for accessibility
BIRGIT SKARSTEIN
Recently I experienced the remarkable benefits of a self-driving car, giving me a sneak peek into a transformative future. As a wheelchair user, navigating travel is often fraught with challenges, such as inaccessible public transportation and a lack of suitable rental cars. However, this autonomous vehicle smoothly took me from one appointment to the next, bypassing the usual barriers to mobility. Its advanced technology not only facilitated my travel but also enhanced my own autonomy, ensuring that my paralyzed legs did not impede my busy schedule.
In 2025, we find ourselves at the brink of a transformative era, marked by profound advancements in technology and in artificial intelligence. These developments are set to redefine virtually every facet of human life. An area particularly ripe for transformation is the use of advanced technologies to benefit people living with impairments.
My vision for a better future is a world where Al and emerging technologies are deliberately designed to amplify the abilities of those with disabilities.
Al can be harnessed to create adaptive technologies that go beyond basic accessibility, offering tools that are profoundly integrated into daily life and tailored to individual needs. For instance, Al-driven devices could convert spoken language into sign language in real time, or customize educational environments to fit the unique learning styles and speeds of people with cognitive disabilities. Moreover, smart prosthetics and mobility aids that learn and adapt to their user's patterns could significantly enhance autonomy and mobility, reducing physical limitations.
By focusing our collective intellect and compassion toward developing inclusive technology, we can ensure that the Intelligent Age we're entering doesn't just advance humanity as a whole, but that it empowers and enriches the lives of all individuals. This commitment will make the promise of technology a reality for everyone, turning potential barriers into powerful bridges to participation and expanding the ability to contribute.
In this pivotal year at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, let us champion Al as a tool for inclusion, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to both benefit from and contribute to our shared future.
Skarstein is a Norwegian Paralympic rowing champion
Invest in African talent
RONIT AVNI
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/46/0307107737.jpg]
African job seekers remain underutilized despite the presence of a growing, highly skilled talent pool. Employers often prefer to hire engineering and business talent from long-established tech hubs such as India, Poland, Israel, and the U.S. The number of companies actively seeking African talent remains far smaller than it should be, given the size of the eligible candidate pool. Yet, persuading employers to change course is often an uphill battle.
A wave of new job opportunities is emerging, however, with millions of roles expected to be created over the next few years. These positions—driven by new regulatory and reporting requirements on carbon emissions and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance affecting over a dozen countries, from the U.K. to Singapore—currently lack established regional talent hubs. This shift presents an exciting opportunity for African candidates with green skills to leapfrog ahead and play a central role in the green talent revolution.
Much as India has risen as a formidable engineering hub, Africa has the potential to lead the way in carbon and ESG talent. Achieving this will require strategic investment to build candidates' carbon intelligence now, while raising employers' awareness of this talent pool, so that the continent can seize on this transformative moment.
Avni is the CEO of Localized
Universal AI inclusion
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/47/7047040370.jpg]
BOLOR-ERDENE BATTSENGEL
AI has already become a driving force in health care, education, agriculture, and beyond. Yet, its power is concentrated in the hands of very few people, leaving many developing countries and emerging markets excluded from its benefits. Right now, 2.2 billion people lack internet access, let alone AI tools.
I'd love to see AI education become as accessible as literacy. I want to see herders in the nomadic community of Mongolia using AI to predict weather patterns, or a small-business owner in Peru leveraging AI to improve the efficiency of her business. I want to see young girls using AI for personalized education to pursue their dreams.
This is not about technical skills or preparing the labor force in the tech industry. This is about encouraging communities to question biases in AI platforms, advocate for fair and inclusive technology, and build tools that align with their unique needs. Governments, tech companies, international organizations, and educators must collaborate to deliver localized, inclusive AI education programs, especially in emerging markets and unprivileged communities.
Battsengel is the former Vice Minister of Digital Development of Mongolia.
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/47/0401224307.jpg]
Democratize film
BHUMI PEDNEKAR
AI has the potential to democratize filmmaking, expand access to educational films, and improve the i...
BIRGIT SKARSTEIN
Recently I experienced the remarkable benefits of a self-driving car, giving me a sneak peek into a transformative future. As a wheelchair user, navigating travel is often fraught with challenges, such as inaccessible public transportation and a lack of suitable rental cars. However, this autonomous vehicle smoothly took me from one appointment to the next, bypassing the usual barriers to mobility. Its advanced technology not only facilitated my travel but also enhanced my own autonomy, ensuring that my paralyzed legs did not impede my busy schedule.
In 2025, we find ourselves at the brink of a transformative era, marked by profound advancements in technology and in artificial intelligence. These developments are set to redefine virtually every facet of human life. An area particularly ripe for transformation is the use of advanced technologies to benefit people living with impairments.
My vision for a better future is a world where Al and emerging technologies are deliberately designed to amplify the abilities of those with disabilities.
Al can be harnessed to create adaptive technologies that go beyond basic accessibility, offering tools that are profoundly integrated into daily life and tailored to individual needs. For instance, Al-driven devices could convert spoken language into sign language in real time, or customize educational environments to fit the unique learning styles and speeds of people with cognitive disabilities. Moreover, smart prosthetics and mobility aids that learn and adapt to their user's patterns could significantly enhance autonomy and mobility, reducing physical limitations.
By focusing our collective intellect and compassion toward developing inclusive technology, we can ensure that the Intelligent Age we're entering doesn't just advance humanity as a whole, but that it empowers and enriches the lives of all individuals. This commitment will make the promise of technology a reality for everyone, turning potential barriers into powerful bridges to participation and expanding the ability to contribute.
In this pivotal year at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, let us champion Al as a tool for inclusion, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to both benefit from and contribute to our shared future.
Skarstein is a Norwegian Paralympic rowing champion
Invest in African talent
RONIT AVNI
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/46/0307107737.jpg]
African job seekers remain underutilized despite the presence of a growing, highly skilled talent pool. Employers often prefer to hire engineering and business talent from long-established tech hubs such as India, Poland, Israel, and the U.S. The number of companies actively seeking African talent remains far smaller than it should be, given the size of the eligible candidate pool. Yet, persuading employers to change course is often an uphill battle.
A wave of new job opportunities is emerging, however, with millions of roles expected to be created over the next few years. These positions—driven by new regulatory and reporting requirements on carbon emissions and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance affecting over a dozen countries, from the U.K. to Singapore—currently lack established regional talent hubs. This shift presents an exciting opportunity for African candidates with green skills to leapfrog ahead and play a central role in the green talent revolution.
Much as India has risen as a formidable engineering hub, Africa has the potential to lead the way in carbon and ESG talent. Achieving this will require strategic investment to build candidates' carbon intelligence now, while raising employers' awareness of this talent pool, so that the continent can seize on this transformative moment.
Avni is the CEO of Localized
Universal AI inclusion
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/47/7047040370.jpg]
BOLOR-ERDENE BATTSENGEL
AI has already become a driving force in health care, education, agriculture, and beyond. Yet, its power is concentrated in the hands of very few people, leaving many developing countries and emerging markets excluded from its benefits. Right now, 2.2 billion people lack internet access, let alone AI tools.
I'd love to see AI education become as accessible as literacy. I want to see herders in the nomadic community of Mongolia using AI to predict weather patterns, or a small-business owner in Peru leveraging AI to improve the efficiency of her business. I want to see young girls using AI for personalized education to pursue their dreams.
This is not about technical skills or preparing the labor force in the tech industry. This is about encouraging communities to question biases in AI platforms, advocate for fair and inclusive technology, and build tools that align with their unique needs. Governments, tech companies, international organizations, and educators must collaborate to deliver localized, inclusive AI education programs, especially in emerging markets and unprivileged communities.
Battsengel is the former Vice Minister of Digital Development of Mongolia.
image [https://d19oxuimcmx63e.cloudfront.net/magtag/1963683/extractedimages/47/0401224307.jpg]
Democratize film
BHUMI PEDNEKAR
AI has the potential to democratize filmmaking, expand access to educational films, and improve the i...
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Time (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 27, 2025