Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

No internet, no education, says Vickie Robinson

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital. But that left behind those offline, widening the digital access gap — with big implications for education.

Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft's Airband Initiative, recalls how she dealt with school closing as a mother.

Having in-home connectivity helped her children transition from middle to high school with some sense of normalcy. But two-thirds of school-aged kids around the world didn't have that opportunity, she says during a Global Stage livestream conversation.


What's more, offline kids mostly come from marginalized backgrounds, which for Robinson makes the case for closing the digital access gap even more urgent.

More from Global Stage

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

How do we ensure AI is safe, available to everyone, and enhancing productivity? It’s a big topic at this year’s UN General Assembly. That’s why GZERO’s Global Stage livestream brought together leading experts at the heart of the action for “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Is the Europe-US rift leaving us all vulnerable?

As the tense and politically charged 2025 Munich Security Conference draws to a close, GZERO’s Global Stage series presents a conversation about strained relationships between the US and Europe, Ukraine's path ahead, and rising threats in cyberspace.

Global Stage live from the 80th UN General Assembly | Tuesday,  September 23 11:30 AM ET |  gzeromedia.com/globalstage

Watch: Global Stage live from the 80th UN General Assembly

Watch a replay of today's livestream: On the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, our panel of global experts will discuss the future of global cooperation and governance in the age of AI. Our livestream discussion, "Global Stage: Live from the 80th UN General Assembly" examines these key issues, live from the sidelines of UN headquarters on the first day of high-level General Debate. Watch live at gzeromedia.com/globalstage

How AI is transforming cybersecurity

"We are seeing adversaries act in increasingly sophisticated ways, at a speed and scale often fueled by AI in a way that I haven't seen before.” says Lisa Monaco, President of Global Affairs at Microsoft.

Jacinda Ardern on AI's role in countering extremism online

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says AI can be both a force for good and a tool for harm. “AI has either the possibility of…providing interventions and disruption, or it has the ability to also further harms, increase radicalization, and exacerbate issues of terrorism and extremism online.”

Preventing conflicts before they start, with María Fernanda Espinosa

As calls for UN reform grow louder, Executive Director of GWL Voices and former General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa warns that global peace efforts remain too reactive and that true reform begins with prevention.