A Digital Citizen is a person who participates within the constraints and possibilities of the internet.

A Community is a body of people who live in the same place, usually sharing a common cultural or ethnic identity

So an Online Community is a body of digital citizens who use the same websites and usually share a common interest or hobby.

Benefits of an online community:

• Anyone can take part as it isn't restricted to physical places

• People can share ideas and knowledge

• Connect with like minded people

• Make new friends

AI is the ability of a machine or computer program to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding speech, recognizing images, making decisions, and learning from experience.

Examples of AI:

• Voice Assistants (Examples: Siri, Alexa)

• Recommendation systems (Examples: Netflix, YouTube, Sky TV)

• Chatbots in Customer Service

• Generative AI: creates new content or alter existing content through advanced learning machine models. (Example: Deepfakes, AI music generators, autotuning)

• Smart home devices (Examples: Nest, automated lights)

AI is based on patterns. It looks at lots of data, finds patterns in that data, and then uses those patterns to make decisions. Like a student who gets better at a game every time they play it, the more the AI is exposed to data, the better it can predict and make decisions.

Risks of AI:

• Data privacy: AI can collect lots of data about us, and there’s always the risk of personal data being misused.

• Hacking: Data generated by AI is often stored by companies, making it vulnerable to breaches or unauthorized access if security measures are inadequate.

• Deep fakes and identity theft: Generative AI can create realistic fake images or videos (known as deepfakes) that mimic real people. This can be used to impersonate individuals, potentially leading to fraud, defamation, or identity theft.

• Mistakes or Errors: AI isn’t perfect. Sometimes, if it doesn’t have the right information or enough data, it can make mistakes. For example, a self-driving car might not recognize a stop sign and could cause an accident.

• Unfair Decisions: AI is created by humans, and if the people programming it don’t think about fairness, it can lead to biased or unfair decisions.

What can be done?:

• Collect only the necessary data and avoid storing excessive personal information. Reducing data storage limits the risk of breaches and misuse.

• Use strong encryption for data to help protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.

• Implement guidelines to prevent misuse of AI (e.g., avoid using facial recognition in sensitive situations or banning deepfake generation without consent).

• Review Privacy Settings and Permissions on your online accounts.

• Choose services that prioritize security and encryption, especially for messaging, cloud storage, and payment processing.

• Be aware of Phishing and Scams as AI can be used to create convincing fake messages or profiles.

• Limit Social Media Sharing and be mindful of posting content that could be used to create deepfakes.

• Use 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) for online accounts to add an extra layer of security. This helps protect accounts even if passwords are compromised.

The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who do not.

What causes the digital divide?

• Knowledge - Knowing how to use the technology.

• Where you live / Geography - Some countries don't have clean drinking water, much less laptops and iPhones.

• Disability or Illness - The devices aren't always accessible to people with disabilities.

• Cost / Affordability - Technology and devices are getting more and more expensive and some people can't afford it.

What is the impact?

• Money / Economically - People who do not have access spend more money on bills because they cannot pay online. On average people spend 55% more on bills and shopping because they cannot take advantage of the savings offered to online customers

• Friends / Socially - People who do not have access to social media, online gaming, message and video apps may feel left out (isolated) in their friendship groups

• Learning / Educationally - People who do not have access to the internet or devices may not be able to complete homework or learn new skills from places like youtube or google. 

• Job opportunities - Not having access means that they will not develop the skills to use the technology they may need to get a job. Nearly all jobs require you to apply online, how can you apply if you do not know how to use the computer?