Boosting Economic Growth Through Fiber Optic Connectivity

Corning’s connectivity innovations make high-speed broadband and AI accessible to more communities.

The next time you buy something online, AI may not only help you find the right product faster, but it could also possibly even order it for you. New tools recently unveiled by some of the largest AI companies are giving users the power to try on clothes virtually or even give you your own personalized agent to take care of online tasks like making reservations or buying tickets. It’s no surprise considering a recent study found AI tools are increasingly influencing buying habits. The study¹ revealed more than 30% of shoppers in 2024 used AI-powered assistants to help them make purchase decisions, up from 22% in 2023. AI is not only transforming the way we shop, but our relationship with technology, the internet, and the communities we live in.

Faster Broadband is Needed to Meet Data Demands

As consumer demand for inferencing AI grows, so too are the demands for the fiber networks that make it all a reality. Generative AI is leveraging the near limitless potential of optical fiber to transmit data at light speed within and between data centers where it can then be quickly processed to create large language models which AI learns from and uses to operate. Individual users who want to take full advantage of AI’s capabilities need the kind of rapid fire connectivity in their homes that can be provided most efficiently with fiber.

While we don’t yet fully know how AI will become part of our daily lives, we do know optical fiber’s low loss, low latency and high reliability makes it more capable than other traditional connections to handle not only AI, but video conferencing, media streaming, and remote work all at the same time.

No Communities Left Behind

Recent public interest in AI and a trend towards more digitally connected communities is making even more clear the so-called digital divide, where lack of access to technology is creating digital inequality in underserved communities that is often split along geographic lines. Gauging by the rate at which data demands are increasing, communities that are still relying on traditional copper networks to stay connected to the internet are at risk of getting left behind if they don’t get transitioned to a more reliable source of broadband.

The need for fiber broadband is not just about enjoying the conveniences of speedy AI responses and other modern connected technologies. Communities that do not move to fiber are potentially losing out on significant economic growth. Fiber broadband has already demonstrated its ability to provide a tangible economic lift to communities where it is broadly implemented, in some cases boosting employment trends upwards of 40%².

Connectivity Innovations Speeding Up Deployment

Accelerating Future Fiber Optic Connectivity

Fiber optic networks offer the low latency and high reliability needed to support AI’s data-intensive operations. Communities that still rely on copper networks risk falling behind. Corning’s connectivity innovations enable faster, more cost-effective fiber deployments, helping to unlock economic growth in underserved areas.

This article was previously published by Corning.

¹ WorldSync , Consumer Product Content Benchmark

² Fiber Broadband Association, Fiber Anchors Sustained Economic Development Charlottesville, Virginia