Human literacy levels have stalled since 2000. At any time, this would be a cause for concern, when one in ten people worldwide – including 32 million U.S. adults – still cannot read a road sign, a voting form or a medicine label. But at a point in human evolution when technological progress has never been more fast-paced, the need for remedial action has never been more urgent.
Within the next decade, a typical smartphone is likely to be more capable of basic literacy – the ability to read, understand and act upon simple language and instructions – than one in seven American adults.
That is probably the most arresting finding from new analysis from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst, with whom Project Literacy has collaborated to explore the changing dynamic between people, technology and literacy.
It is a dynamic that matters far more than is immediately obvious. The vocabulary of education has become ingrained in the field of cutting-edge technology development; every day we read of ‘artificial intelligence’, ‘machine learning’ and ‘machine reading’.
While ‘machine reading’ is not yet close to mastering the full nuances of human language and intelligence, AI-enabled devices like smartphones will soon be able to digest simple instructions such as a speed limit, a map or a medicine prescription, in a way that permits safe participation in civic society. The fact that this ‘machine literacy’ is set to exceed the literacy abilities of one in seven Americans within the next decade demonstrates an imbalance that must be rectified.
Literacy is a fundamental right that allows full participation in society. Evidence shows that poor literacy underpins many other issues in our society from gender inequality and infant mortality to homelessness and unemployment. Upgrading our technology without upgrading our people won’t solve those issues.
We need to jump-start international efforts to tackle stalled adult literacy rates. While each new generation of smartphone improves, illiterate parents tend to have illiterate children, perpetuating a devastating cycle.
Technology is a key part of the solution. Project Literacy has shown its power to tackle illiteracy through a number of initiatives. One project, with not-for-profit Worldreader, uses mobile technology to help parents in India read more to their children. Another partnership, with Unreasonable Group is supporting startups in emerging economies that aim to help close the global illiteracy gap by 2030.
If society as a whole is to benefit from the new opportunities presented by big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning, then we cannot afford to leave anyone behind when it comes to the basic education required to take advantage of them.
Project Literacy’s goal is that by 2030 no child is born at risk of poor literacy. Harnessing the power of technology will be crucial in helping us to achieve this ambition.
As well as advising Project Literacy, Kate James is Chief Corporate Affairs & Global Marketing Officer at Pearson, which has convened and is leading the Project Literacy campaign.
Visit www.projectliteracy.com/help to take action