A new non-profit organization called Raise Us has launched with the goal of helping the United States workforce transition into an AI-driven economy. The initiative is backed by major tech vendors including Microsoft, Amazon, Anthropic, and the OpenAI Foundation.
The group aims to partner with state governors, employers, and training organizations to design corporate incentives for retraining workers. It plans to pilot new approaches to support people through job transitions and create training models tied directly to changing employer demand.
Funding and leadership
Raise Us has already secured more than $500 million in funding and hopes to reach $1 billion in multi-year commitments from philanthropists and industry sources. Anchor partners include Microsoft, Amazon, Anthropic, and the OpenAI Foundation.
More than two dozen other organizations have signed on, including Cisco, IBM, ADP, AMD, and Deloitte. The organization is led by former US governors Gina Raimondo, who will serve as CEO and co-chair, and Eric Holcomb, who is also a co-chair.
Initial government partnerships are with the states of Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah. These states will serve as the first proving grounds for outcome-driven pilots to test these new workforce strategies.
Analyst skepticism
Despite the high-profile backing, technology analysts are skeptical that the initiative is anything other than a public relations effort for the AI industry. Jason Andersen, VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, described the organization’s initial communications as more marketing and posturing than strategy and action.
Andersen noted that many CEOs involved have already displaced thousands of workers due to AI adoption. He argued that partnering at the state level may be too broad given that industry makeup varies significantly from state to state, with some leaning towards knowledge workers while others are more manufacturing-focused.
Accusations of ‘AI-washing’
Technology analyst Carmi Levy called Raise Us possibly the highest-profile example of “AI-washing” thus far. He described it as a well-intentioned but ultimately futile attempt to illustrate that something is being done to cut through uncertainty and empower the workforce.
Levy argued that the initiative serves as a convenient vehicle for stakeholders, including state governments and companies like Microsoft and Amazon, to virtue-signal that they are doing their utmost to solve the AI employment crisis. He pointed out that it is “more than a little rich” for companies that have conducted multiple rounds of tech-driven layoffs to join an initiative focused on protecting workers from those same risks.
However, Levy acknowledged that if Raise Us can deliver on its promises, it could be an important first step in the great AI workforce transition. He stated he will believe in its mission when middle-aged, mid-level administrative workers are realistically redirected into new AI-enabled career paths without a massive pay cut.
Andersen echoed this sentiment, saying he is keeping an open mind but emphasized that something more measurable and specific is needed, or the initiative risks looking like just another public relations effort.
What this means for you: If you are concerned about AI impacting your job security, keep an eye on whether these state-level pilots produce tangible retraining programs. For now, the focus remains on high-level partnerships rather than immediate resources for individual workers.
Source: Computerworld
Over to you: Do you think corporate-funded non-profits can effectively address workforce displacement caused by AI?