On Friday morning, Google announced a $75 million grant for a training initiative called the AI Opportunity Fund. The fund, delivered through Google.org, the corporate’s philanthropic arm, goals to make AI training more accessible around the globe, particularly in underserved communities and people working in nonprofits or small businesses.
At the identical time, the ever present tech giant announced the launch of a brand new product-agnostic AI Fundamentals course geared toward core AI skills and best practices.
“AI offers significant opportunities to accelerate economic growth, especially when people have access to the right resources and training,” James Manyika, senior vice chairman of research, technology and society at Google, wrote in a press release. “Google.org’s new AI Opportunity Fund and Google’s AI Essentials course are important next steps in our commitment to ensuring everyone, everywhere has access to AI training.”
“No single employer or policymaker will be able to modernize workforce programs alone,” Manyika continued. “We are committed to collaboration between industry, civil society and government to ensure that the opportunities created by new technologies are accessible to all.”
AI capabilities are critical for all of us
The need for generative AI capabilities in on a regular basis work is becoming increasingly urgent. As Lisa Gevelber, founding father of Grow with Google, said Assets Last yr, there’s currently a “huge disparity” within the American workforce, with “two-thirds of Americans – about 70 million workers – excluded from virtually all jobs in our country.”
Gevelber began the “Grow with Google” qualification initiative in 2017. It provides lessons and certifications for today’s most in-demand skills – often technology-related, resembling cybersecurity and data evaluation. Enrollment is open to everyone, no matter education level, and so far, over 11 million Americans have taken a Grow with Google course.
Younger staff are clearly seeing how a broader range of skills could make them competitive candidates – and that could be crucial to advancing of their current job. “Indeed,” said Gevelber. “Generation Zers rate the opportunity to continue training in their job as even more important than paid vacation.”
Skills-based hiring is all the fad, including amongst established technology corporations and established private sector corporations. Training programs like Google’s are intended to speed up and democratize the wave, says Manyika Assets.
In fact, within the AI Essentials course, which lasts slightly below 10 hours, students acquire skills that they will apply across industries – and receive a certificate as proof. Once launched, it can be available to a handful of corporations and universities. “We believe AI will have such a profound impact on the future of the workforce, and an important part of that will be the skills that workers need,” Manyika said Assets, He added that the concept behind the grant is to supply training opportunities to as many individuals as possible.
The Opportunity Fund provides grants to organizations in order that they can offer free courses to their employees. The actual AI Essentials course is self-paced and doesn’t give attention to any specific AI product – not even Google’s. The idea, Manyika said, is to offer learners the basic skills they should use any AI product that exists today or may exist in the long run. Some questions learners will probably want to answer: How do I create a prompt? What can these tools help me with and what else is beyond their capabilities?
A lot of studies show that the least expert staff often profit essentially the most from AI implementation, Manyika said. “That’s why we want to ensure that workers who may have been excluded from AI advances can benefit.”
But in fact, easy AI know-how is hardly an antidote to the pitfalls that the emerging technology still faces. “We know that some of these tools have limitations, such as around facticity or AI hallucinations,” Manyika said. “Knowing what the tools are good for – and not good for – is a very important skill; Incorrect use poses real danger.”
Generative AI could possibly be a historically effective strategy to bridge skills gaps, which experts have long argued is a key reason why few non-tech staff can command high salaries. “A large part of the gap in access to opportunities is because things are closed to you unless you have specific expertise, training or qualifications,” Manyika said, echoing Gevelber’s comments. “We believe that the technology itself – because it can be used by non-experts – is already helping to close the gap.”
Students and young learners in underserved communities have “eye-catching” ideas, Manyika said; They just don’t yet know find out how to generate the software code to bring these ideas to life. “Imagine being able to describe ideas to one of these systems and have it design the code for them.”
“AI could lead to a revitalization of the American middle class – an upgrading effect,” Manyika said. “Because it doesn’t just benefit the people who are experts in it. It can bridge the gap.”
“This technology brings with it certain responsibilities that we try to be aware of and take very seriously,” Manyika said. “So at the heart of our work we ask the question: Will this be helpful or useful in any way? AI will only work if it actually benefits workers.”
