Google launches new program to train workers in AI

 

Google is launching AI Works for America, a new initiative to train workers and small businesses in essential AI skills, the company announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: The AI leaders who say the tech will reinvigorate — and not decimate — the workforce have yet to reveal many concrete plans to train workers whose jobs could become obsolete.

Driving the news: Google says the new program is designed to build an "AI-empowered U.S. workforce," starting with AI Works for Pennsylvania.

• Every Pittsburgh resident is eligible for free training, including Google Career Certificates and AI courses, the company says.
• The courses will be offered online, on-demand, through the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

The big picture: The announcements are part of Tuesday's inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, organized by Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.).

• Google and Alphabet president and CIO Ruth Porat is attending, along with headliner President Trump and dozens of tech, energy and business titans.
• McCormick will announce $70 billion in AI and energy investments for the state, including thousands of new jobs, at the Tuesday event, Axios reported Monday.

What they're saying: "Google's investments...will increase energy abundance and empower Americans with the skills needed to thrive in the AI era," Porat said in a statement.

• The summit, held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, aims to ignite "Pennsylvania's incredible potential to power the AI revolution," McCormick says.

Yes, but: Google has long offered skills training, but the context — and the stakes — are different now.

• Those programs were built for a time when tech jobs were plentiful, before generative AI became a looming threat, real or perceived.

The bottom line: AI training might be ramping up, but it's coming after jobs have already begun disappearing, with little clarity on what jobs will replace them.