Last week, Axios reported exclusively on a study by Microsoft that concluded that people in urban areas use AI more broadly than those in rural parts of the country.
The study found that almost one-third of people in large urban areas use AI but only 16.2% of those in rural areas use AI. Approximately 22% of folks living in small cities use AI.
The study looked at the largest 35 cities in the U.S. The highest usage rate found was almost 40% in Washington, D.C. The other extreme was Pittsburgh, where a bit more than 25% were found to be users of AI.
The Microsoft study also found that every one of the 15 counties adopting AI has a college or university.
“It’s very unfortunate if the people who could benefit from it the most — who arguably need it the most — are accessing generative AI less frequently,” Microsoft president Brad Smith told Axios.
One of the areas in which AI can be of great value to rural communities is agriculture. The Broadband Exchange, Telecompetitor’s podcast, has posted a two-part interview with Heather Hampton-Knodle, an Illinois farmer who uses digital agriculture. Knodle also has worked extensively with the FCC on broadband and connectivity needs. Here are part one and part two.
In another interview, Shirley Bloomfield — then the CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association — discussed the prospects for the use of AI in rural areas. Bloomfield pointed to a variety of potential uses of AI by rural operators, including demand forecasting, terrain planning, and route determination. She also pointed to providers using AI for troubleshooting, cybersecurity, and customer experience. Since most rural operators don’t have 24/7 staffing, AI can be a valuable early warning system.
