Google Unveils Fresh AI Training Program

Google has launched a major initiative to boost AI skills across the workforce, featuring a new Google AI Essentials Course on Coursera and a $75 million AI Opportunity Fund.

The Google AI Essentials Course, taught by Google experts, aims to teach foundational AI skills, best practices, and responsible AI use in under 10 hours of self-paced study. It’s designed for everyone, regardless of prior AI knowledge, and costs $49 on Coursera. Participants will gain hands-on experience through videos, readings, and interactive exercises, earning a certificate upon completion.

To make this course accessible, Google’s philanthropic arm established the $75 million AI Opportunity Fund. The fund will support organizations providing AI training, including Miami Dade College and the University of Virginia’s Darden Executive Education, extending the training to rural and underserved communities, educators, public sector workers, nonprofits, and small businesses.

James Manyika, Google’s senior VP for research, technology & society, emphasized the importance of democratizing AI training to boost economic growth. Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund and the AI Essentials Course represent steps toward ensuring universal access to AI education.

Despite the growing demand for AI skills, the World Economic Forum estimates that only half of workers have sufficient AI training. Google’s AI Opportunity Agenda aims to bridge this gap.

Goodwill, a recipient of Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund grant, will offer the AI Essentials course to local communities at scale, aiming to equip job seekers with essential digital and AI skills for better employment prospects and economic mobility.

Re-reported the article originally published in Forbes