Today we’re gathering people in Washington DC to discuss how artificial intelligence will affect the economy and jobs. At our inaugural AI for Economy Forum, co-hosted with MIT FutureTech, we start with a simple premise: Neither the benefits nor the risks are automatic or guaranteed. How AI affects our lives, jobs and economy is something we as a society can shape – and fully realizing AI’s economic potential will require a new era of partnership between businesses, workers, governments, researchers and more. At the forum, economists, industry leaders, policy makers and experts will gather to share information, identify gaps in current understanding and lay the foundations for ongoing collaboration.
Google has a longstanding commitment to help positively shape this transition. Today, we are building on this commitment in two critical ways. First, we are making new investments in research to ensure that governments, businesses, researchers and civil society have the information they need to make smart decisions. Second, we offer educational opportunities to equip people with the skills needed to navigate a changing economy.
Investing in research to understand how artificial intelligence will change the economy
Google’s AI & Economy Research Program will help answer some of society’s most pressing questions about AI’s impact on the economy and work. The program supports deep collaboration with external experts. Our Visiting Fellows program brings leading economists, like MIT’s David Autor, to produce original research. Our Digital Futures project supported work by MIT’s Ben Armstrong and Julia Shah to explore how companies can encourage the use of AI tools that benefit both workers and companies. Their research found the most success in the use of artificial intelligence that minimizes wear and tear, promotes learning and promotes collaboration.
We are expanding this with Google.org funding and Google Cloud credits for a new group of researchers conducting cutting-edge research on work, organizational productivity and transformation across sectors and economies. We also provide Google.org support to a global group of research institutions investigating AI’s impact on labor markets, sector-specific transformations in manufacturing and healthcare, the policy environments needed to maximize workforce opportunities, and more. And we are expanding our internal research efforts on a range of topics, from the real world of generative AI on knowledge worker productivity to the economics of AI agents.
To help guide this work, we draw on the expertise of our academic advisors: Nobel laureate Michael Spence, Cambridge University’s Dame Diane Coyle, and former CEO of PIMCO and Wharton School professor Mohamed El-Erian.
Support new avenues for training and opportunities
Ensuring that people have access to useful training and skill-building programs is essential to preparing people for an evolving world. Google knows how to do this at scale. To date, we’ve trained 100 million people globally in digital literacy—more than 13 million in the U.S.—and we’ve designed new programs like our AI Professional Certificate, designed to move people beyond basic literacy to AI fluency. Our $120 million Global AI Opportunity Fund makes AI education and training available in communities around the world.
We know the AI transition will require different approaches to training and skills development and education, so we’re working across sectors on three new Google.org-funded programs:
- With the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, we are funding an effort to train rural healthcare professionals in AI skills and provide practical tools so they can spend less time on paperwork, more time with patients and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.
- We support the Apprenticeships Unlocked initiative, led by Jobs for the Future, which will mobilize 100 companies to create new apprenticeships in demand and new sectors across the US
- We’re working with the Manufacturing Institute (MI) to equip 40,000 current and future manufacturing workers with critical AI skills and expand apprenticeship opportunities to 15 new US regions.
This follows the Google AI Educator Series, our recent initiative with ISTE+ASCD to deliver Google AI products and comprehensive AI literacy training to all 6 million K12 teachers and higher education faculty in the United States. These new investments are part of Google’s broader AI Works initiative, efforts that span partnerships, training and investments to ensure that everyone can benefit from the technology.
Building a strong foundation
This work builds on our foundational investments, including $1 billion to support AI education, job training programs, and other education-related initiatives in the U.S. and the tens of billions of dollars we’ve invested in U.S. tech infrastructure, research and development, and expanded energy capacity to help make our economy AI ready.
We are committed because over time we have seen the power of digital tools, including AI, as an engine of economic mobility that helps level the playing field for businesses and people everywhere. Our latest annual US Economic Impact Report features stories of businesses from every state that are using technology to grow. But realizing this potential requires smart governance along with private investment. That’s why we recently approved sound policies to help policymakers understand how artificial intelligence is impacting the economy as we prepare and support workers during this transition. The bills will help America prepare for the AI transition in three key ways: assess AI’s economic impact, equip the workforce with AI skills, and encourage AI adoption that empowers workers.
Ultimately, no single entity can handle this shift alone. We see the forum as an important step in building the collaboration, partnerships and understanding needed to help navigate the AI transition successfully.