HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) — With many jobs eventually relying on generative artificial intelligence, states are trying to help workers improve their tech skills before they become obsolete and are surpassed by increasingly intelligent machines.
In Connecticut, work is underway to create what proponents say will be the nation’s first Citizens AI Academy, a free online repository of select courses where users can learn essential skills or earn a certificate required for employment.
“This is a rapidly evolving field,” said Democratic Senator James Maroney. “So we all need to learn what the best sources are to stay informed. How can we update our knowledge? Who are trustworthy sources?”
Given the rapid pace of technology and differing opinions on the best approach, deciding what skills are needed in an AI world can be challenging for state legislators.
Gregory LaBlanc, a professor of finance, strategy and law at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley Law School in California, believes workers should be taught how to use and manage generative AI rather than how the technology itself works. This is in part because computers will soon be better able to perform certain tasks that have previously been performed by humans.
“We need to focus on things that complement AI, rather than learning to be really bad imitators of AI,” he said. “We need to find out what AI is not good at and then teach those things. And those things are generally things like creativity, empathy and high-level problem solving.”
He said that in the past it was not necessary to understand technological advances to be successful.
“When electricity came along, we didn’t tell everyone they had to become an electrical engineer,” LeBlanc said.
This year, at least four states — Connecticut, California, Mississippi and Maryland — have introduced bills that attempted to somehow address AI in the classroom. Proposals ranged from Connecticut’s planned AI Academy, originally included in a massive AI regulatory bill that failed but whose concept is still being developed by state education officials, to proposed working groups to study how to safely integrate AI into public schools. One such bill failed in the Mississippi legislature, while the others are still in flux.
A bill in California would require a state task force to examine the inclusion of AI skills in math, science, history and social science curricula.
“AI has the potential to positively impact the way we live, but only if we know how to harness it and use it responsibly,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Marc Berman, in a statement. “Regardless of their future career, we must ensure that all students understand the basic principles and applications of AI, that they have the skills to recognize when AI is being used, and that they are aware of the implications, limitations, and ethical issues of AI.”
The bill is supported by the California Chamber of Commerce. Ronak Daylami, policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that including information in existing curricula “will dispel the stigma and myth surrounding the technology and not only help students become more sophisticated and aware users and consumers of AI, but also better prepare future generations of workers to succeed in an AI-driven workplace and hopefully inspire the next generation of computer scientists.”
While the planned AI Academy in Connecticut will issue certificates to people who complete certain skills programs that may be required for careers, Maroney said the academy will also cover the basics, from digital literacy to asking a chatbot a question.
He said it is important that people 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 require some form of literacy,” Maroney said. “I think if you don’t learn how to use that skill, you’re at a disadvantage.”
A study published in September 2023 by job search company Indeed found that all U.S. jobs listed on the platform required skills that could be performed or augmented by generative AI. Nearly 20% of jobs were considered “highly exposed,” meaning the technology is considered good or excellent at 80% or more of the skills mentioned in Indeed job postings.
Nearly 46% of the jobs on the platform were “moderately exposed,” meaning GenAI can perform 50% to 80% of the skills.
Maroney expressed concern that this shortage of skilled workers – combined with the lack of access to high-speed internet, computers and smartphones in some underserved communities – will exacerbate the problem of inequality.
A report published in February by global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company predicted that generative AI could increase private wealth in the U.S. by nearly $500 billion by 2045, but it would also widen the wealth gap between black and white households by $43 billion annually.
Advocates have been working for years to close the nation’s digital skills gap, often focusing on basic computer literacy and improving access to reliable internet and devices, especially for people in urban and rural areas. The advent of AI brings additional challenges to that task, says Marvin Venay, field officer and advocacy director for Massachusetts-based Bring Tech Home.
“To really move this forward in the public eye, it has to involve education… in a way that gives people the opportunity to let go of their inhibitions,” he said of AI. “And you have to be able to explain to the average person why it’s not just a useful tool, but why this tool is something that they can trust.”
Tesha Tramontano-Kelly, executive director of the Connecticut-based group CfAL for Digital Inclusion, expressed concern that lawmakers are “putting the cart before the horse” when it comes to AI training, noting that 90 percent of teens and adults who take her organization’s free digital literacy courses don’t have a computer at home.
Although Connecticut is considered technologically advanced compared to many other states, with nearly every household having internet access, a recent study on the state’s digital equity found that only about three-quarters have broadband access. A survey conducted as part of the study found that 47% of respondents find it fairly or very difficult to afford internet access.
Of residents reporting a household income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, 32 percent do not own a computer and 13 percent do not own an internet-enabled device.
Tramontano-Kelly said ensuring internet access and affordable technology are important first steps.
“That’s why it’s super important to teach people about AI. I agree with that 100%,” she said. “But the conversation also needs to be about everything else related to AI.”
