The Broadband Providers Growing Role in AI

AI services and platforms and providers of high-speed broadband services are increasingly engaged in a symbiotic relationship. So I argue in the Free State Foundation’s latest Perspectives from FSF Scholars, AI promises significant improvements to broadband providers. But AI itself depends on the networks that collect, analyze, and transmit massive amounts of data. I point out that: “[i]f AI cannot obtain the vast amounts of power and water it needs, if it cannot connect with users to gather data and deliver value, or if access to this infrastructure is compromised, AI collapses.” 

This trend has caught the attention of industry leaders. NCTA President and CEO Cory Gardner recently gave a keynote speech to the State of the Net Conference. He stated that: “[T]his critical infrastructure isn’t just a byproduct of AI. It is the backbone, the workhorse, the foundational element that made and makes AI possible.” This is the result of sustained private investment. According to Gardner, NCTA members have invested more than $355 billion in broadband infrastructure over the last 20 years, including $26 billion last year.

On March 11 President and CEO of CTIA Agit Pai wrote on BroadbandBreakfast that “breakthroughs in artificial intelligence won’t matter much if the networks connecting devices and infrastructure cannot support them. AI without a strong wireless network is like a new car without a road.” Pai pointed to two pillars for success: harmonized spectrum policy and investment-friendly regulatory frameworks.

The dependence on reliable, secure, and high-capacity communications also applies to networks for power, water, and transportation. Each increasingly requires powerful broadband networks to provide the large amounts of data and computing ability required by AI. In order to attract the massive amounts of private investment required, regulators will have to craft sensible regulations that minimize uncertainty and delay. Luckily, the providers of broadband networks are increasingly aware of the opportunity. Hopefully, policymakers are too.