$500M Bipartisan Initiative Targets AI Workforce Displacement

A new nonprofit called RAISE US has launched with $500 million in corporate funding to prepare American workers for AI-driven economic disruption, representing one of the largest private initiatives yet to address automation anxiety.

Former Rhode Island Governor and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb are leading the effort, which has secured commitments from AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI, alongside Amazon, Microsoft, Bank of America, General Motors, and Eli Lilly. The organization aims to spend its initial funding over three to four years while pursuing a $1 billion fundraising target.

Why it matters

While tech leaders have recently moderated predictions about immediate mass job losses, corporate America is hedging against workforce upheaval that could trigger social instability. This initiative reflects growing recognition among business leaders that rapid AI adoption without worker transition support could fuel political backlash and economic disruption—concerns that transcend partisan divides.

State-level pilot programs

Rather than creating another corporate training program, RAISE US will partner with state governors to test policy innovations. Initial participants include Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont—a deliberately bipartisan coalition spanning the political spectrum.

First-year pilots will explore expanding service opportunities for young people in healthcare and education, and redesigning unemployment insurance to help displaced workers launch AI-enabled businesses. States will co-fund these experiments alongside the nonprofit.

Leadership and governance

The organization's board includes AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, and former House Speaker Paul Ryan. Former Deloitte executive Janet Foutty will serve as president of corporate partnerships.

Raimondo emphasized the urgency of institutional reform, arguing that American schools aren't producing workers with needed skills and that unemployment systems weren't designed for an economy requiring repeated career transitions. "There's increasing awareness that it would be bad for America to quickly get to a place where we have a very high unemployment rate," she said, noting CEO concerns about potential social unrest.

What's not on the table

RAISE US won't engage in debates over wealth redistribution mechanisms like AI profit taxes, public wealth funds, or government equity stakes in AI companies—proposals that have drawn support from figures as varied as Senator Bernie Sanders and OpenAI leadership. Raimondo expressed personal opposition to government ownership stakes, calling it "frankly the definition of socialism."

The nonprofit is establishing an internal policy lab that won't accept corporate funding to explore additional solutions. Holcomb acknowledged that even the $1 billion target may prove insufficient given the scale of potential workforce disruption.

These details were first reported by Politico.