Digital Literacy Efforts in Amarillo Raise Questions on Risks and Ethics Amid Expanding Access

Amarillo Public Library staff run scheduled digital literacy sessions at Warford Activity Center on Tuesdays from 10 AM to 2 PM and at Acts Community Center on Fridays during the same hours, while the city’s AI concierge Emma, launched in 2024, fields questions around the clock in multiple languages.

The expansion comes after a public-private partnership with AT&T added high-speed broadband to roughly 23,000 previously unserved homes and businesses, lifting citywide coverage to 90 percent. That infrastructure gain makes online resources more reachable, yet it also increases the number of residents who must navigate email accounts, government portals and automated systems without in-person help nearby.

Named programs target different age groups

Digital Literacy Coordinator Maggie Elder oversees the library’s Digital Navigators program, which delivers free computer classes and one-on-one help with email setup, online resource access and internet safety. Separate semester-long offerings include Girls Who Code and Girls Who Game for youth plus Silver Surfers sessions for older adults at three community locations. These efforts aim to close skill gaps, but they operate on limited schedules that do not match every work or caregiving routine.

Emma supplements the in-person work by answering homework queries, city-service questions and basic digital-literacy requests at any hour. Because the tool is always available, it can serve non-English speakers who might otherwise wait days for a volunteer slot. At the same time, reliance on an automated system introduces questions about how the city verifies the accuracy of its responses and protects user data during those exchanges.

Broadband gains meet ongoing access hurdles

The two-year AT&T project improved physical connectivity, yet residents still encounter barriers when programs run only on weekday mornings or when an AI response requires follow-up clarification that a live person would handle differently. Privacy considerations surface when personal details enter either a library database or the city’s digital-human platform. Equity questions remain for households outside the newly served areas or for people whose devices cannot run the latest security software.

City and library websites list current schedules and registration steps for anyone seeking to use the existing sessions or test Emma. Staff continue to adjust hours and language support as participation data accumulates.