A new report released at UNESCO's Digital Learning Week warns that the lack of digital literacy skills, not mobile broadband coverage, is the primary barrier keeping 3.1 billion people offline. The report, titled "Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era," was authored by GSMA Intelligence in partnership with Huawei. It highlights that while 96% of the world's population is covered by mobile broadband, 38% remain offline due to a shortage of digital skills, user trust, and AI literacy.
The implications are staggering: closing this usage gap could add $3.5 trillion to global GDP from 2023 to 2030, with more than 90% of those gains flowing to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the report cautions that artificial intelligence could both bridge and widen the divide. AI-powered voice assistants and multimedia applications can help low-literacy users bypass text input, but they also raise the bar for security and critical thinking, requiring users to understand data privacy and identify risks such as fraud and deepfakes. According to World Bank statistics cited in the report, GenAI literacy carries wage premiums of up to 36%, far exceeding returns for basic digital or traditional AI skills.
Without targeted interventions in basic digital training, the authors warn, rapid AI adoption risks entrenching existing inequalities even in areas with full network coverage. The report emphasizes community-based delivery models, citing Huawei's Skills on Wheels initiative as a field-tested example. Its solar-powered DigiTruck mobile classrooms bring hardware, rural connectivity, and hands-on training, including AI literacy, to off-grid regions. Since 2019, these projects have reached over 130,000 people across 21 countries. A report by Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy shows that 79% of DigiTruck trainees surveyed passed on their new skills to family and peers.
To bridge the usage gap, the report urges policymakers, telecom operators, and technology vendors to focus on four priorities: treating practical AI awareness, online safety, and information verification as a baseline national qualification; adopting multilingual voice and conversational interfaces across public services; scaling up mobile learning units through cross-sector partnerships; and measuring performance by independent task completion and fraud resilience rather than trainee numbers.
"Digital literacy can no longer be defined by static thresholds," said Tim Hatt, head of research and consultancy at GSMA Intelligence. "Connectivity alone is insufficient — capabilities, system design and trust must evolve together. To capture this multi-trillion-dollar opportunity, stakeholders must integrate layered AI literacy directly into daily livelihoods through trusted community channels." Gavin Allen, Executive Editor-in-Chief at Huawei, added, "Mobile classrooms have demonstrated immense value in helping underserved populations break through physical and psychological barriers to technology. We will continue working alongside local governments and industry partners to drive digital literacy, ensuring that no one is left behind as we transition into the AI economy."
A new DigiTruck program will launch in France this autumn, covering several cities in the Île-de-France region and targeting low-income and underserved communities with digital skills training. The full report is available on the GSMA Intelligence research portal: https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/bridging-the-divide-enhancing-digital-literacy-in-the-ai-era.
The report's findings underscore that digital literacy is not just a social issue but an economic imperative. As AI becomes more pervasive, the gap between those who can leverage its benefits and those who cannot will only grow, making it critical for governments and industry to collaborate on scalable, community-driven solutions. The potential $3.5 trillion boost to global GDP is a powerful incentive, but achieving it requires a fundamental shift in how digital skills are taught, measured, and prioritized.
