Bringing people together at AI for the Economy Forum

Today we’re bringing people together in Washington D.C. to discuss how AI will impact the economy and jobs. At our inaugural AI for the Economy Forum, co-hosted with MIT FutureTech, we’re starting with a simple premise: neither the benefits nor the risks are automatic or guaranteed. How AI impacts 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 companies, workers, governments, researchers and more. At the forum, economists, industry leaders, policymakers and experts will gather to share information, identify gaps in current understanding, and lay the foundation for ongoing collaboration.

Google has a long-standing commitment to helping positively shape this transition. Today, we’re building on that commitment in two critical ways. First, we are making new investments in research to ensure governments, companies, researchers, and civil society have the information required to make smart decisions. Second, we are providing training opportunities to equip people with the skills needed to navigate a changing economy.

Investing in research to understand how AI 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 from MIT’s Ben Armstrong and Julia Shah to explore how firms can encourage the use of AI tools that benefit both workers and companies. Their research found the most success in uses of AI that minimize drudgery, promote learning and foster collaboration.

We’re expanding on 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’re also providing Google.org support for a global cohort of research institutions investigating AI’s impact on labor markets, sector-specific transformations in manufacturing and healthcare, the policy environments needed to maximize workforce opportunity, and more. And we’re expanding our internal research efforts on a variety of topics, from the real-world impact of generative AI on knowledge-worker productivity to the economics of AI agents.

To help guide this work, we’re drawing 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.

Supporting new avenues for training and opportunity

Making sure people have access to helpful 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 skills – 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 is making 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 workers on AI literacy and provide practical tools, allowing them to spend less time on paperwork, more time with patients, and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.
• We’re supporting the Apprenticeships Unlocked initiative, led by Jobs for the Future, which will mobilize 100 companies to create new apprenticeships in high-demand and emerging sectors across the U.S.
• We’re working with the Manufacturing Institute (MI) to equip 40,000 current and future manufacturing employees with critical AI skills and expand apprenticeship opportunities to 15 new U.S. regions.

This follows the Google AI Educator Series, our recent initiative with ISTE+ASCD to provide Google AI products and comprehensive AI literacy training to all 6 million K12 teachers and higher ed faculty in the U.S. These new investments are part of Google’s broader AI Works initiative, efforts that span partnerships, trainings and investments, to ensure that everyone can benefit from technological progress.

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. technical infrastructure, research and development, and expanded energy capacity to help get our economy AI ready.

We’re committed because, over time, we’ve seen the power of digital tools, including AI, as an engine for economic mobility, helping level the playing field for businesses and people everywhere. Our most recent annual U.S. Economic Impact Report includes stories of businesses from every state who are using technology to grow. But realizing this potential requires smart governance alongside private investment. That is why we recently endorsed sensible policies to help policymakers understand how AI is impacting the economy while preparing and supporting 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 manage this shift alone. We see the forum as an important step in building the collaboration, partnerships, and understanding needed to help to navigate the AI transition successfully.