The companies most likely to automate your job are funding a $1 billion initiative to retrain workers for an AI-driven economy. Led by former US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the nonprofit organization called 'Raise Us' seeks to prepare American workers for the changing job market. Raimondo emphasized that the US has a technology strategy for AI leadership but lacks a people strategy to ensure workers are not left behind. 'If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline,' she said at the launch. The initiative is backed by major tech firms, including Amazon, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI, raising questions about its independence given these companies' direct stake in AI adoption. The organization plans to create corporate incentives for retraining, launch pilot programs with governors, and adapt training models to meet employer needs. The goal is to measure success by whether workers secure and retain stable, well-paying jobs. Source: thedecoder
Raise Us is the first time leading AI developers have jointly funded an independent initiative to support workforce transitions. The organization is backed by more than two dozen major corporations and four governors, including Bank of America, which is funding an apprenticeship program for advanced manufacturing. Other supporters include ADP, AMD, Autodesk, and IBM, alongside philanthropic foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation and Arnold Ventures. The initiative aims to collect $1 billion in multi-year pledges, with $500 million already locked in. However, the funding structure has raised questions about the organization's independence, as many of its backers profit from AI expansion. The pilot projects will launch in four states—Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah—chosen for their bipartisan representation. Source: thedecoder
The organization is organized into four pillars: State Partnerships, Employer Coalition, Education and Training, and Policy Lab. State Partnerships aim to align education and workforce programs with employer demand through apprenticeships and short-term credentials. The Employer Coalition brings together companies using AI to develop retraining and retention programs, with Microsoft already testing a model for legal staff. The Education and Training pillar focuses on scaling AI-powered training models that offer cheaper alternatives to traditional college. The Policy Lab will develop and test new policy approaches without corporate funding. Retraining displaced workers has a mixed track record in the US, with past efforts deemed ineffective by Raimondo. Congress has steadily cut funding for the main workforce development law since 1973, and planned overhauls have stalled. Whether Raise Us delivers better results remains to be seen. Source: thedecoder
