Big Companies Aim to Ease A.I. Transition for American Workers
Congress has failed to address the work force disruption that artificial intelligence could generate.The White House, excited about the upside for stocks and investment, has downplayed the potential for widespread job losses.Now, amid growing public anger over A.I.
and a debate over how to regulate it, a group of employers, state governors and foundations has raised $500 million to try to answer some of those questions themselves.The funders include A.I.labs preparing to go public, like OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as established corporate giants such as Bank of America and Amazon.
Their new nonprofit, called Raise Us, is led by Gina Raimondo, a former commerce secretary and Rhode Island governor who since leaving office has called for companies and the government to do more to orient American workers in a new A.I.era.“This is an independent effort,” Ms.
Raimondo said.“It’s the first one I know of where competitors in the tech industry have put aside their competition to say, ‘We’re going to write big checks and, in the service of our country, do what we can to figure out this transition.’”Estimates of the magnitude of job dislocation in store for the American work force vary widely, from half of all entry-level white-collar jobs to a few thousand jobs here and there.
Although layoffs are currently very low across the economy, the employee ratings site Glassdoor has found that worker sentiment toward A.I.has been worsening.
Companies have made headlines by citing A.I.as a reason for deep job cuts.
They include Workday and IBM, which are part of the new nonprofit, as well as Meta and Oracle, which are not.The organization will work primarily with governors, starting with those in Utah, Arkansas, Maryland and Connecticut.The theory: States generally control their community college systems, which can translate work force policy through course offerings and industry partnerships.
The bulk of the budget will fund pilot programs overseen by about 1...