Verizon Invests $70 Million in Nationwide AI Training Initiative

Verizon is investing $70 million in a nationwide initiative to provide artificial intelligence training to job seekers, small businesses, and educators. The program utilizes resources from technology companies including Google, IBM, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic, and partners with non-profit organizations such as Goodwill Industries to deliver the training.

This total investment includes $50 million in new funding added to a $20 million commitment made last year to support employees affected by 13,000 job cuts. The initiative aims to reach hundreds of thousands of people to prepare them for a shifting labor market.

CEO Dan Schulman stated that AI will transform the workforce and urged other Fortune 100 companies to contribute similar funds to create a multibillion-dollar training pool. Schulman argued that such action is necessary to protect democracy and serves the self-interest of business leaders.