- Google Commits $1B to AI Education over three years for US college students, funding AI literacy programs, research, cloud access, and the AI for Education Accelerator with free AI training and Google Career Certificates.
- AI-related job postings surged 66% in HR and 800% in non-tech sectors since 2022 with roles offering up to 25% wage premiums.
- Free 12-month Google AI Pro plan extended to students in the US, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil, equipping them with cutting-edge AI tools and training.
Google has made a $1 billion investment to increase AI training and education for students in the US, in preparation for the next generation to face a high-tech employment market powered by artificial intelligence. The $1 billion in funding, over the course of three years, will be used for AI literacy initiatives, research, and access to cloud computing resources. As part of this initiative, Google will offer its AI for Education Accelerator free AI training and Google Career Certificates to all students at colleges across the nation.
CEO Sundar Pichai underscored the need to prepare students with AI skills that will last them a lifetime as they head into the workforce, observing that the initiative takes a multi-year advance from experience with the Google Career Certificates program. "Knowing how to apply this technology will also benefit these students as they enter the workforce", he added, and noted that today's students are the first genuine generation of 'AI natives' who will utilize these models in ways that have yet to be imagined, from uncovering new methods of learning to inventing completely new categories of work.
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The move comes amid a surge in demand for AI expertise across industries. Based on labor market intelligence company Lightcast, job listings in the human resources field that demand AI skills jumped by 66% during 2024, with generative AI positions within non-technical industries jumping by a staggering 800% since 2022. The demand is also leading to increased compensation, with a 2024 report from PwC mentioning that positions that need AI specialist capabilities can carry wage premiums of up to 25% in certain areas.
Apart from training, Google will make its Google AI Pro plan available for free for a period of 12 months to students not just in the US but also in Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil and thus provide them with the latest AI tools and infrastructure. Pichai emphasized that deploying the company's strongest technology into the hands of students, together with the resources and training to use them, is crucial to bringing the benefits of the AI revolution to a broad population. He said he had every confidence that the future generation of builders, artists, and thinkers would use AI to mold the future in revolutionary ways.
