Yeweon Kim

I served with the statewide digital equity initiative in Maryland, which dropped me straight into the everyday realities of the digital divide. Through the cooperative extension system, I had the opportunity to closely observe how schools, libraries, and nonprofits—which we call community-anchor institutions—collaborate to build community capacity. CAIs aren’t just "nice to have." They are the places people trust, the places people actually show up, and often the only places where digital life becomes something navigable.

Americans across the board agree on one thing: understanding AI matters. Younger, well-educated individuals are slightly more likely to say it is extremely important, but large majorities recognize at least a need for AI literacy. AI is everywhere, but not everyone is on equal footing. Some understand it deeply, others barely at all. The real challenge isn’t access to AI but access to the knowledge needed to engage with it meaningfully.

Watching people who participate in Marylanders Online—a statewide digital equity initiative that offers a broad range of educational resources aimed at strengthening community capacity, providing free courses on digital and AI literacy for all—often reminds me of a concept I return to again and again: tech readiness (also called digital readiness). The term refers to an individual’s propensity to embrace technology to accomplish goals in both personal and professional contexts, as well as their preparedness to adapt to ongoing technological change.

Telling an evidence-based story of organizational success is essential for acquiring grants, building trust with clients, and establishing strong ties with partner organizations. As federal funding radically alters the digital equity landscape over the coming decade, this task will only become more important. To support organizations positioned to receive those funds we build on existing evaluation guides targeting the digital equity practitioner community.