Connecticut state officials will establish another artificial intelligence (AI) training program for workers, according to a press release from Gov. Ned Lamont. In that release, Lamont announced that the state was partnering with RAISE US, which creates programs to train workers to use AI in their work and to transition careers when necessary.
“AI is going to reshape the world, and we need to ensure that Connecticut workers and Connecticut jobs benefit from these breakthroughs and do not get left behind,” Lamont said in the press release. “Through this partnership with RAISE US, we are committing to take practical next steps to ensure our state has the policies, coalitions, and resources in place to help workers gain new skills, support families through periods of change, and connect people to growing careers. I want the workforce of Connecticut to look at the years ahead and see opportunity, not uncertainty.”
Connecticut is one of the states where AI is projected to have the highest impact on employment. This is because many of the state’s largest industries—insurance, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, among others — are projected to be transformed by artificial intelligence.
“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy—and we cannot lead without one,” former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and RAISE US Co-Founder Gina Raimondo and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce said in the release. “If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway.”
This shift has already been documented in manufacturing. Connecticut’s manufacturing output has been increasing in dollar value over the past few decades. At the same time, some of the industry’s largest players have been laying off workers. Connecticut’s former Chief Manufacturing Officer, Paul Lavoie, candidly wrote in the 2023 Manufacturing Strategic Plan, “Based on national population projections, it has become clear that we will not solve our workforce challenges with people. The U.S. manufacturing sector is projected to have 2.0M jobs in 2030, leading to a loss in GDP of $1.0T dollars. To think that we will grow GDP with people alone is a fool’s errand. We need to double down on industrial automation to have machines do the work of the people we will never have.”
“We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready, either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity,” Raimondo said. “We’ve assembled the country’s leading companies, best economists, and philanthropy at a scale rarely seen—all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”
Another workforce-AI training program was implemented this legislative session. The bill has a multi-pronged approach to AI training and outreach, including working with nonprofits to create programs that they can teach to other people, and working with the Department of Housing, the Connecticut Department of Labor, and the Secretary of State to connect residents directly to AI Academy, a free, online training program through Charter Oak State College.
Was this article helpful?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
