Chunghwa Telecom Uses AI Training to Bridge Taiwan’s Rural Digital Divide

As Taiwan’s population ages and essential services move online, elderly residents in rural communities and people with disabilities face growing risks of digital exclusion. Chunghwa Telecom launched its “馨心學堂” initiative in Miaoli to address that gap, training people with disabilities as AI instructors and pairing them with corporate volunteers to deliver community-based digital education. The model also gives participants with disabilities an active role as technology educators.

The initiative recently delivered 72 hours of digital-experience and AI-assisted nostalgic art courses to 125 elderly residents in Miaoli, whose average age was 77. Participants learned to use AI tools by drawing on personal memories and each completed their first AI-generated artwork. The program’s latest results show how familiar creative themes, disabled instructors and corporate volunteers can help older users overcome anxiety about emerging technology.