Google has introduced new AI Training Course.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Google has announced a new major training initiative designed to increase AI skills throughout the workforce.
The project includes a new Google AI Essentials Course that will be offered on Coursera, the online learning platform, in addition to a $75 million AI Opportunity Fund to make the course more widely available.
The company’s new online Google AI Essentials course is designed and taught by Google experts in AI. The course, which will not require a prior degree or AI experience, will focus on “teaching workers foundational AI skills, AI best practices, and how to use AI responsibly.” Google claims that “in under 10 hours of self-paced study,” students will gain an introduction to AI, learn how to write effective prompts and be able to identify AI’s potential biases and harm.
Designed to give learners hands-on experience using AI in their work, the course, which will cost $49 on Coursera, will involve videos, readings, and interactive exercises. Individuals who complete the course will earn a certificate from Google.
The $75 million Google AI Opportunity Fund, offered through the company’s philanthropic arm, is aimed at enabling at least one million Americans take the course and learn basic generative AI skills by providing grants to workforce development and education organizations.
For example, Miami Dade College will offer the course to all students enrolled in its AI college-degree program, and the University of Virginia’s Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning will provide the course to working learners.
These and other organizations will allow the AI training to be extended for free to several segments of society, including rural and underserved communities, educators and students, public sector workers, nonprofit leaders and small businesses.
“AI offers significant opportunities to accelerate economic growth, particularly if people have access to the right resources and training,” said James Manyika, Senior Vice President for Research, Technology & Society at Google, in a release shared with the press.
“Google.org’s new AI Opportunity Fund and Google’s AI Essentials Course are important next steps in our commitment to ensure everyone, everywhere can access AI training. No single employer or policymaker will be able to modernize workforce programs on their own – we are committed to collaborating across industry, civil society and government to ensure the opportunities created by new technologies are available to everyone,” Manyika added.
Despite the increasing demand for AI skills across several industry sectors, the World Economic Forum estimates that only half of workers have access to adequate AI training today. To equip as many workers as possible with foundational AI skills, Google introduced an AI Opportunity Agenda last year.
One of the first recipients of a Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund grant will be Goodwill. With more than 80% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Goodwill, it’s expected the organization will be able to offer Google’s AI Essentials course at scale to many local communities at no cost.
“Beginning in 2017, our digital skills training work with Google.org has unlocked new opportunities for hundreds of thousands of workers, including many in lower-wage jobs,” said Steve Preston, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries International, in the news release. “By expanding our efforts and leveraging Google’s new AI Essentials course, we can help US jobseekers attain the core digital and AI skills needed to step into well-paying jobs and greater prospects for economic mobility.”
