RAISE US, new group to help steer AI-era workforce, wins new corporate funding

RAISE US, a well-funded, well-connected project to help American workers transition to an AI economy, announced huge new funding Thursday from Apple, AT&T, the Bezos family, Google, and Walmart, bringing total commitments to the four-month-old, nonpartisan group to over $735 million.

Why it matters: The backing shows a new way corporate America is trying to get ahead of looming AI-related economic and political disruption.

Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a RAISE US cofounder, told Axios the new support will "allow us to expand and accelerate our efforts coast to coast — working with states and employers to grow apprenticeship and early-career training programs, retrain and redeploy mid-career workers, and strengthen the social safety net for Americans whose jobs are affected by AI."

• The group was launched in June by Raimondo, a Democrat and former Rhode Island governor, and former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, with a goal of $1 billion in multiyear commitments.

Zoom in: The group isn't disclosing specific donations, but the new total is a jump of more than $200 million since the group's initial announcement.

• The RAISE US Policy Lab will test ideas for supporting, retraining and redeploying workers, and turn those learnings into recommendations for decision-makers in Washington, state capitols, and the private sector.

Raimondo added: "I'm deeply worried that action from D.C. isn't remotely keeping pace with the anxiety I hear from Americans about what AI will mean for them and their financial well-being. RAISE US is explicitly designed to fill the gap right now between that AI anxiety and action.

• "One of the secret ingredients to our strategy is how broad our coalition is. RAISE US is bringing the private sector, organized labor, nonprofits, higher education, and bipartisan governors all to the same table to figure out what works and scale it nationally."

What they're saying: John Stankey, AT&T chairman and CEO, said: "The AI economy will demand new skills and create new opportunities. At AT&T, we're investing in both, giving people the training and career pathways to succeed."

• Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, said: "Only by combining the strengths of the public and private sectors can we ensure that all Americans share in the massive potential of AI."
• Julie Gehrki, president of the Walmart Foundation and Walmart Inc.'s SVP of philanthropy, said: "The companies that get AI right will be the ones that bring their people with them."