Two things are true. First, low social mobility carries a significant economic cost, with the UK economy losing £19 billion in GDP every year. Second, Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how people learn, work and progress in their careers. This places us at a crossroads: a moment when AI could be used to unlock opportunity for young people from low-income backgrounds, but also the danger that inequalities become further entrenched. 

Building on our AI and Social Mobility 2025 report where we set out what we see as the opportunities and threats AI poses for young people from low-income backgrounds, we’re about to launch our biggest initiative yet, the AI and Social Mobility Challenge Prize.

Essentially, the Challenge Prize is a competition for tech entrepreneurs to design an AI based intervention that will help young people from low-income backgrounds to develop the skills they need to successfully transition from education into work. 

In this blog post, Freya Mumford, Digital Manager at the EY Foundation, sets out why we believe this initiative is so important, and why we need all hands-on deck to ensure the development and deployment of AI works for young people from low-income backgrounds.

AI is reshaping opportunity 

The development and deployment of AI is set to be one of the biggest transformations to working lives in living memory.

AI could be a democratizing technology, however, achieving this potential is far from certain. It is up to us to decide how it is developed and deployed, and the prospect of entrenching existing inequalities will not be avoided without intentional action to use AI for good.

If left unchecked, we risk seeing: 

• A new ‘digital divide’: Research from the Financial Times and Focaldata shows that AI adoption is strongly linked to education and income, with high earners benefitting the most.  Unequal access to computing education locks in this inequality from an early age. 

• A new layer of inequality: Young people are often particularly vulnerable to data privacy breaches. Data used to train most AI systems often reflects biases in society. Algorithmic bias and privacy concerns risk entrenching existing inequalities.

• Missing voices: Without input from young people affected by AI,, we risk missing the opportunity to identify and mitigate the negative impacts before they are established.

There are however, many promising scenarios where AI is a key tool for building a more inclusive future. The opportunities AI presents are well documented:

• Personalised Learning: AI can facilitate tailored learning experiences to suit diverse learning needs, making quality education more accessible for students without access to opportunities like personal tutoring.

• Skill Development: By reducing administrative burdens on teachers, AI allows a greater focus on supporting students to develop essential skills such as emotional intelligence and collaboration.

• Job Access: AI can analyse individual strengths to connect young people with suitable job opportunities and training programmes, helping to overcome traditional networking barriers.

A clear role for targeted innovation and inclusion

The UK Government, industry and education are all taking important steps to demonstrate their commitment to AI, reflecting its economic and societal importance. These include a new programme to provide AI training to 10 million workers by 2030, and AI tutoring tools to support up to 450,000 pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

Some of the world’s biggest employers are also recognizing the importance of pursuing ‘AI for Good’ and spending considerable time and money on initiatives promoting inclusive development and deployment. EY’s AI for Good programme for example, has reached 18 million people since its inception in 2013. 

Despite this, important gaps remain. There is currently:

• A limited focus on how disadvantaged groups access and benefit from the opportunities AI presents

• A lack of youth voice shaping solutions and innovation design. 

To address these gaps, there is a clear need for targeted innovation focused specifically on social mobility, designed with disadvantaged young people at their core.

This creates an opportunity to direct innovation toward one of the defining challenges of the AI era: ensuring that opportunity is expanded, not restricted.

Alongside this, a principles-based approach, flexible to how AI can be applied, but consistent in what it addresses, can ensure any interventions are built for the advancement of social mobility:

• Technology needs to be developed with the intent to unlock opportunity.

• Youth voice needs to be embedded in how it is developed and deployed.

The case for the Challenge Prize

An AI and Social Mobility Challenge Prize provides a powerful and timely response. 

It can:

• Accelerate purpose-driven innovation, incentivising AI-driven solutions focused on under-served groups.

• Centre youth voice, addressing a recognised gap in current systems through engaging young people in the design, delivery and judging of the Challenge Prize.

• Complement national initiatives, targeting those least reached by existing programmes.

• Shape the future of AI, ensuring it delivers equitable outcomes through a focus on evidence.

By applying our principles of intent, and embedding youth voice throughout the delivery of the Challenge Prize, we will help ensure AI is harnessed as a force for inclusion, opportunity and social mobility.

Make sure to follow the journey of the first ever AI and Social Mobility Challenge Prize. 

Follow EY Foundation and Social Tech Trust on LinkedIn and get in touch to offer your support.