New $500M nonprofit targets AI job displacement in four states

A bipartisan nonprofit launched with more than $500 million in funding aims to prepare American workers for an economy increasingly automated by artificial intelligence, starting with pilot programs in four states.

RAISE US will partner with Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah to develop new education and training initiatives designed to help workers transition to new careers as AI reshapes the job market. The organization was founded by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican.

"We're talking about a certain level of unemployment that could destabilize our country and our democracy," Raimondo said, according to CT Mirror, which first reported the initiative. "If you want to lead the world in AI, you have to take action to make sure our democracy doesn't crumble."

Why it matters

Recent economic analyses suggest AI could displace workers at unprecedented speed and scale. Boston Consulting Group estimated in April that roughly half of U.S. jobs will be reshaped by AI over the next few years, with as many as 25 million jobs potentially eliminated within five years. Goldman Sachs separately projected that a quarter of U.S. work hours could be automated by AI. Unlike previous technological shifts, AI threatens to disrupt multiple sectors simultaneously—from manufacturing and trucking to office work and professional services—faster than existing institutions can respond.

Corporate and policy partnerships

The nonprofit has secured anchor partnerships with major technology and business players including Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation and Bank of America. Additional participating employers include UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco and IBM.

The advisory board features former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, billionaire investor Stephen Schwarzman, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, and economists David Autor, Erik Brynjolfsson and Raj Chetty.

Raimondo, who shaped AI policy during her tenure in the Biden administration, will serve as CEO. The organization plans to focus on state and employer partnerships rather than federal initiatives, developing policies that connect educational institutions more closely with employers and exploring changes to corporate tax incentives aimed at maintaining employment.

Testing ground for federal policy

RAISE US intends to use state programs as laboratories for policies that Congress might later adopt at the national level. "I don't have a lot of hope for bold action by Congress in the next few years on this issue, and I don't think we can wait a few years," Raimondo told CT Mirror. She expressed confidence that federal lawmakers will eventually look to successful state models when they do take action.

Neuroscientist Vivienne Ming, author of "Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People," noted that current systems are unprepared for the transformation. "AI is now disrupting multiple sectors simultaneously, faster than any institution can respond," Ming said. She argued that neither education systems nor labor policies are building the foundational skills—including curiosity and intellectual flexibility—that an AI-driven economy will require.

Manufacturing has already shed 68,000 jobs and trucking transportation has cut 28,300 positions since the start of the current administration, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by CT Mirror.

These details were first reported by CT Mirror.