HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — With many jobs expected to eventually depend on generative artificial intelligence, states are trying to help workers improve their technical skills before they become obsolete and are overtaken by increasingly intelligent machines.
Connecticut is working to create what supporters believe will be the nation’s first Citizens AI Academy, a free online repository of curated courses that users can take to learn basic skills or earn a certificate needed for employment.
“This is a rapidly evolving area,” Democratic Sen. James Maroney said. “So we all need to learn what the best sources are to stay up to date. How can we update our skills? Who can we trust? »
Determining what skills are needed in an AI world can be a challenge for state lawmakers, given the rapidly evolving technology and differing opinions on the best approach.
Gregory LaBlanc, a professor of finance, strategy and law at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley Law School in California, says workers should learn how to use and manage generative AI rather than understand how the technology works, in part because computers will soon be better able to perform some tasks previously done by humans.
“What we need to do is look at things that complement AI, instead of learning to be really bad imitators of AI,” he said. “We need to figure out what AI is not good at, and then teach those things. And those things are usually things like creativity, empathy, high-level problem solving.”
He said that historically, people did not need to understand technological advancements to be successful.
“When electricity came along, we didn’t tell everyone they had to become electrical engineers,” LeBlanc said.
This year, at least four states – Connecticut, California, Mississippi and Maryland – have proposed legislation aimed at addressing AI in the classroom in some way. They ranged from the planned AI Academy in Connecticut, which was initially included in a sweeping AI regulation bill that failed, but the concept is still being worked out by AI officials state education, to proposed working groups examining how AI can be safely integrated into public schools. One such bill died in the Mississippi Legislature while the others remain in flux.
A California bill would require a state task force to consider integrating AI skills into math, science, history and social studies curricula.
“AI has the potential to positively impact the way we live, but only if we know how to use it and responsibly,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Marc Berman, in a statement. “Regardless of their future profession, we need to ensure that all students understand the basic principles and applications of AI, have the skills to recognize when AI is being used, and are aware of the implications, limitations and ethical considerations of AI. »
The bill is supported by the California Chamber of Commerce. Ronak Daylami, a policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that integrating this information into existing school curricula would “dispel the stigma and mystique of technology, not only helping students become more informed and intentional users and consumers of AI, but also better positioning future generations of workers to succeed in an AI-driven world of work and hopefully inspiring the next generation of computer scientists.”
While the planned AI Academy in Connecticut is expected to offer certificates to people who complete certain skills programs that might be needed for a career, Maroney said the academy will also include the basics, from digital literacy to how to ask questions to a chatbot.
He said it is important for people to have the skills to understand, evaluate and interact effectively with AI technologies, whether it is a chatbot or machines that learn to identify problems and make decisions that mimic human decision-making.
“Most jobs will require some form of literacy,” Maroney said. “I think if you don’t learn how to use it, you will be at a disadvantage.”
A September 2023 study published by job search company Indeed found that all U.S. jobs listed on the platform had skills that could be performed or augmented by generative AI. Nearly 20% of jobs were considered “highly exposed,” meaning the technology is rated as good or excellent for 80% or more of the skills listed in Indeed job postings.
Nearly 46% of jobs on the platform are “moderately exposed,” meaning GenAI can perform 50-80% of the skills.
Maroney said he was concerned about how this skills gap — coupled with a lack of access to high-speed internet, computers and smartphones in some underserved communities — could exacerbate the problem of inequality.
A report published in February According to McKinsey and Company, a global management consulting firm, generative AI could increase household wealth in the United States by nearly $500 billion by 2045, but it would also increase the wealth gap between black and white households by $43 billion per year.
Disability rights advocates have worked for years to narrow the nation’s digital skills gap, often focusing on computer basics and improving access to the internet and reliable devices, especially for people living in urban and rural areas. The advent of AI brings additional challenges to this task, said Marvin Venay, manager of external affairs and advocacy for the Massachusetts-based organization Bring Tech Home.
“Education needs to be included for this to really take off publicly… in a way that will give people the opportunity to break down their barriers,” he said of AI. “And it has to be able to explain to the most common individual why this is not only a useful tool, but also why this tool will be something reliable.”
Tesha Tramontano-Kelly, executive director of the Connecticut-based group CfAL for Digital Inclusion, said she worries lawmakers are “putting the cart before the horse” when it comes to talking about AI training . Ninety percent of the youth and adults who take his organization’s free digital literacy classes don’t have a computer at home.
Although Connecticut is considered technologically advanced compared to many other states and almost every household can benefit from Internet service, a recent national study on digital equity According to a survey conducted as part of this study, only three-quarters of respondents subscribe to a broadband service. 47% of respondents believe that it is quite difficult or very difficult to afford an Internet service.
Among residents who reported household incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, 32 percent do not own a computer and 13 percent do not own any Internet-connected device.
Tramontano-Kelly said ensuring internet accessibility and affordable technology equipment are important first steps.
“So it’s extremely important to teach people about AI. I agree 100% with that,” she said. “But the conversation also needs to be about everything that comes with AI.”