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How Intel is Aiming to Close the Emerging Technology Skills Gap for Government Leaders

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Title: How Intel is Aiming to Close the Emerging Technology Skills Gap for Government Leaders 

By: Timothy Scott Hall, Director of Costa Rica Government Affairs, and Akanksha Ray, Global Program and Policy Manager for AI & Digital Readiness

 

Governments are under pressure to drive digital transformation around AI, 5G connectivity, cloud and intelligent edge. But any digital transformation first requires building capacities of public sector leaders. 

The economic case for closing the digital skills gap 

Today, governments are lagging the private sector when it comes to digital technology capabilities. According to a Gartner report, nearly three-fourths of public leaders say their organization’s digital capabilities are behind the private sector. The economic case for closing this skills gap is clear. An analysis by Accenture reveals that closing the digital skills gap can add up to $11.5 trillion in GDP in G20 countries by 2028; and a report by PWC estimates that AI, as a tech superpower, will add $15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030. New jobs across all sectors are increasingly embracing AI, making the emerging talent gap in AI-related tech a critical policy agenda. 

How Intel is creating a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive future in Costa Rica 

Digital Readiness for Leaders, Intel’s flagship program, helps government officials close the digital skills gap and create a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive future for all. It gives officials and decision-makers access to Intel technologists who help demystify the complexities of emerging technologies. The program showcases real applications of technology to promote innovation in the public sector, foster education, and build national competitiveness.  

Recently, Intel hosted a Digital Readiness for Leaders workshop in Costa Rica to introduce AI and its applications to more than 50 leaders from across the country.  

Costa Rica and Intel have been critical partners for more than 25 years. During that time, Costa Rica transformed into Central America’s tech epicenter, with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in digital technologies and nearly 3,600 people employed locally by Intel. Today, Intel represents more than 60% of all Costa Rica’s R&D exports.  

Demystifying and applying AI 

Driving the next wave of growth, though, brings a challenge. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications created Community Innovation Labs to promote technology development and entrepreneurship. The ministry recognized that the leaders of the new labs needed their own upskilling on AI, as a critical technology for innovation, especially in less developed areas. Thus, the Ministry requested Digital Readiness for Leaders workshop on Demystifying and Applying AI. 

The workshop focused on demystifying AI terminology and principles, as well as building a foundation to ensure these technologies have an inclusive and positive impact. 

This engagement was presented entirely in Spanish by leading Intel technologists and AI experts from Costa Rica and Canada. Experts Patricia Fernandez Quiros, an Intel program manager, and Ezequiel Lanza, an AI open source evangelist at Intel, covered AI fundamentals and demystified what real AI looks like today, including a ChatGPT demo with Q&A. Carlos Lang and Jenny Peraza, two machine learning engineers at Intel, discussed real applications of AI for public sector issues, engaging officials on how they can utilize AI to solve their most critical issues.  

Get involved 

Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are anticipated to make up as much as 20% of global GDP growth by 2030. To capture that opportunity, the world needs skilled leaders.  

Intel plans to partner with governments in 30 countries and with 30,000 institutions worldwide by 2030 to achieve its commitment to empower more than 30 million people with skills for current and future jobs and promote digital readiness for all.

To learn more, visit https://intel.com/digitalreadiness

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