The Future of Social Inclusion in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities of AI and Digitisation

Abstract

The digital age is reshaping social structures, individual identity and access to opportunities, while raising critical questions about inclusion and new forms of exclusion. This article explores the relationship between artificial intelligence, digitisation and inequalities, analysing how emerging technologies can serve both as tools for empowerment and as mechanisms for reinforcing social barriers. Critically examining the digital divide, this study highlights disparities in access to technology based on income,
education, gender and geographical area, and their impact on digital healthcare, education and the labour market. The rise of 4P medicine, telemedicine and predictive algorithms is transforming healthcare, offering personalised treatment options but also introducing new challenges in terms of accessibility and data protection. AI governance and algorithm transparency emerge as key concerns to ensure an equitable and inclusive digital future. The metaphor of the treehouse illustrates a digital landscape that seems open to all, but remains accessible only to those who have the tools to climb it. This image calls into question the narratives of neutrality and universality often associated with digital innovation. Through a sociological and interdisciplinary approach, this study underlines the urgent need for policies that make digitisation a ladder for all rather than a privilege for the few.