HP Study: Business and government leaders believe technology is key to expanding economic opportunity
June 12 2024 - 5:00AM
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today unveiled a new study with Oxford
Economics revealing enthusiasm among global leaders to use
technology including AI to advance key impact goals.
The study of business executives and government officials in 10
countries found 3 out of 4 leaders believe technology is key to
expanding economic opportunity (76%) and that AI will help drive
progress towards sustainability and social impact goals (76%).
Further, business leaders are either already using AI or plan to
in the next 1-2 years for goals such as increasing access to
digital education (90%), workforce development (89%), and workforce
diversity (86%).
“AI’s reach holds great promise to help HP accelerate our
sustainable and social impact goals,” said Ernest Nicolas, HP’s
Chief Supply Chain Officer. “From how we responsibly build AI PCs
for first-time users to data scientists who use our workstations to
help local farmers build more resilient businesses, this is the
technology that can move businesses and our communities
forward.”
Accelerating digital equity for 150 million people by
2030
About one-third of the global population remains offline,
costing the world billions of dollars in lost GDP each year. The
digital divide has been growing since the advent of technology, and
AI could exacerbate these disparities if intentional action isn’t
taken.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to access the tools needed to
thrive in the digital economy,” said Michele Malejki, HP Global
Head of Social Impact and Director, HP Foundation. “We know
technology can be a great equalizer and a powerful tool to drive
progress. Yet, to truly narrow the digital divide in our rapidly
evolving world, we must also equip individuals with the skills to
use technology.”
In its latest Sustainable Impact report released today, HP
announced it has accelerated digital equity for more than 45
million people since 2021, bringing the organization nearly a third
of the way to its goal of reaching 150 million people by 2030.
The rapid progress is a result of innovative partnerships with
key organizations that create tailored solutions for communities.
HP pursues impactful programs, strategic investments and
partnerships that prioritize those mostly likely to experience the
digital divide.
In 2023, HP:
- Supported digital equity
solutions developed by ten organizations in Malaysia,
South Africa and Mexico with the Digital Equity Accelerator, such
as improvements in digital literacy to access employment, access to
educational hardware and software in schools and development of
digital platforms to support improved health outcomes. In total,
the Accelerator reached 6.4 million people in 2023.
- Launched more than 100
Digital Hubs in partnership with World YMCA to support
digital programming and literacy. For example, the West Orem
Digital Hub, provided by YMCA Houston in Texas aims to increase
community access to educational, economic, and social opportunities
for young people, support services for families, and digital
literacy courses for aging members of the community. More than
500,000 individuals were reached globally in 2023.
- Opened
two NABU HP Creative Labs in the U.S. and the
Philippines, equipping artists and
authors with technology to write and illustrate hundreds of books
for children in local languages each year. The free books have
helped 1.9 million children in 2023 build confidence, connection to
culture and literacy skills, a key building block to participation
in the digital economy.
Building skills amid the rise of AI
Both business and government officials report lack of skills as
a top barrier to meeting key organizational goals, only economic
volatility ranked higher.
Skills-building is a core piece of HP’s digital equity approach.
As a result, HP is expanding its goal to enroll 2.75 million users
in the free skills-building program HP LIFE. The program from the
HP Foundation has already enrolled and enabled more than 1.2
million users to access economic opportunities or start
businesses.
HP is undertaking new initiatives to expand responsible access
and use of AI, the top reported investment area of businesses
today:
- Expand our free HP LIFE Digital
Business Skills courses by releasing a new course on AI skills
later this year.
- Kick-off the HP AI in Social
Impact Award, in collaboration with MIT Solve, which provides
technology designed for building and running AI applications to
social entrepreneurs and organizations that use AI to advance
education, healthcare, and economic opportunities in communities
globally.
- Debut commercial and consumer
Next-Gen AI PCs to market this month, a new category of devices
crafted for work and creation.
HP aspires to be the most sustainable and just technology
company. HP is committed to continually examining its progress and
evaluating further actions to achieve a more equitable and
sustainable future.
For more information on the study and HP’s Sustainable Impact
Report, please visit the HP Newsroom.
About the Study
HP commissioned Oxford Economics to conduct independent research
on this topic. The survey was conducted October to November 2023 in
10 countries: the U.S., France, India, U.K., Germany, Japan, China,
Mexico, Brazil, and Canada. Oxford Economics surveyed 1,036
business leaders (C-suite and direct reports) and government
officials in total, approximately 100 per country.
About HP
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of
solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and
connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170
countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable
devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing,
printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more
information, please visit: http://www.hp.com.
About Oxford Economics
Oxford Economics is the world’s foremost independent economic
advisory firm. Covering over 200 countries, over 100 industrial
sectors and 8,000 cities and regions, we provide insights and
solutions that enable clients to make intelligent and responsible
business decisions faster in an increasingly complex and uncertain
world. For more information, visit
https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/
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