What I Wish I’d Said: Rural Communities Deserve a Digital Voice
Last week, I had the opportunity to sit on a panel alongside Dr. Jacob Thebault‑Spieker from UW–Madison, who shared compelling research about how rural communities are being overlooked by artificial intelligence systems. It wasn’t because of bias in the traditional sense, it was because rural communities are often missing from the digital platforms where AI systems “learn” about the world: things like Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and other open data sources.
The research was good. The insights were important. But as the conversation turned toward solutions, I found myself quiet.
I didn’t have a clear answer in the moment. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
So I did what I do when something sticks with me: I went looking for answers. And now I have a few I wish I’d shared.
The Problem: AI Doesn’t Know What It Can’t See
AI systems are trained on content that exists online — especially publicly available, well-structured, heavily linked content like Wikipedia articles, news sites, mapping tools, and digital archives.
If your town, school, or community project isn’t represented in those spaces, then AI systems won’t recognize it. That affects everything from voice assistants to search engines to funding algorithms and policy research.
Rural communities aren’t invisible because they don’t matter — they’re invisible because the digital infrastructure that feeds AI wasn’t built with them in mind.
Why It Matters
This kind of digital erasure has real consequences. It impacts:
• Search visibility: small towns, schools, and events don’t show up in the same way as. urban counterparts.
• Resource allocation: AI-powered tools that help match grants or services may skip over areas with missing or inconsistent data.
• Public recognition: student achievements, cultural landmarks, and community efforts are harder to celebrate and share.
• Educational equity: AI tools used in classrooms may reflect urban assumptions or completely miss rural context.
This isn’t just about accuracy, it’s about equity. And right now, rural communities are carrying the cost of that gap.
Practical Ways to Increase Rural Visibility, Without a Tech Degree
Here’s what I’ve come to believe: we don’t need rural communities to become Wikipedia experts overnight. We need to make rural life more visible in ways that feel doable, familiar, and community-centered.
These five strategies don’t require special credentials just local knowledge and the willingness to share it.
1. Start With the Platforms You Already Use
You don’t need to learn markup or metadata to make a difference.
• Share your community’s story on your school website, Facebook page, or blog.
• Use full names, clear captions, dates, and locations, AI tools can learn from structured, specific language.
• Add photo albums with detailed descriptions or alt text.
🪴 Be intentional with the content you’re already creating - it matters.
2. Write It First - Then Find a Tech Partner
You don’t have to publish to Wikipedia or OpenStreetMap directly — just create the content.
• Ask students or community members to write short bios, local histories, or event recaps.
• Reach out to a regional library, university, or local volunteer who can help transfer that content to platforms that feed into AI systems.
🤝 You don’t have to do it all. You just have to start the story.
3. Improve What’s Already Online
Platforms like Google Maps and Apple Maps are searchable by AI, and easy to edit.
• Suggest corrections to public listings: update hours, fix labels, add public spaces.
• Upload labeled photos of landmarks, trailheads, or town murals.
• Fill in blanks: is your school auditorium or sledding hill on the map? If not, add it.
📍 Small edits build a clearer picture for people and machines.
4. Launch a Student-Led Digital Community Project
This is one of my favorites, and something schools are already well positioned to do.
• Students can write feature stories, record interviews, or create photo essays.
• Publish their work on a school-hosted Google Site, newsletter, or blog.
• Bonus: link to it from places like the district homepage or public library site to boost visibility.
🎓 It’s not just content creation. It’s research, civic engagement, and place-based learning.
5. Submit to Local or State Archives
State historical societies, university archives, and regional museums often accept digital submissions, and they know how to catalog content in ways that make it findable by researchers, journalists, and AI training sets.
• Scan and share old yearbooks, newsletters, oral histories, or event programs.
• Ask if your school or library can be part of a community memory project.
📂 You don’t have to be everywhere online, partner with those who are.
The Bigger Picture: This Shouldn’t Be a Rural Burden
If I could go back to that panel, here’s what I’d say:
Yes, rural communities are getting bypassed by AI, but it’s not because we’re irrelevant or behind. It’s because the digital infrastructure shaping modern tools wasn’t built with us in mind. And now the burden of fixing that gap is falling on communities that are already stretched thin.
That’s not okay.
It’s time for universities, funders, policymakers, and tech platforms to stop treating rural visibility as a nice-to-have and start recognizing it as essential digital infrastructure. Rural students, families, and communities deserve to show up in the systems that shape everything from learning tools to legislative priorities.
We don’t need perfection. We need presence.
Let’s build it together.
Need help getting started with one of these strategies in your district or community? I’d love to help.
Drop me a note: sarah@morainemedia.co
