Breaking Barriers: Examining the Impact of AI on Rural Communities

Mikey Sackman
7 min readJun 23, 2023

Could the real resistance come from a lack of trust and a changing lifestyle?

A father and his young daughter watching the sunset over a rural landscape that includes modern day windmills in the background.
image by Kitreel on Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we live and work. It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities it brings to urban and suburban areas. But what about its impact on rural communities?

AI has the ability to create opportunities for rural communities that were once thought impossible. We can see this in agriculture and healthcare where AI is already being implemented with promising results.

But with any new technology comes concerns, such as job displacement and access to resources. These concerns are significant challenges to the acceptance of AI use in rural communities.

But they are not the only barriers.

Lack of trust in policymakers and the threat to their lifestyle also contribute to the resistance of AI adoption.

It’s important to examine and understand the impact of AI on rural communities if we want to ensure that its benefits are accessible to all.

The digital divide in rural communities

The main challenge facing rural communities is the digital divide.

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Mikey Sackman

A country gal sharing perceptions on life thru the lense of rural living. Check out my blog at RuralWriter.com.