Brown University has joined a national initiative aimed at addressing workforce challenges related to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), becoming a key research partner in a $500 million effort led by former Rhode Island governor and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The initiative, spearheaded by the nonprofit Raise US, seeks to develop innovative approaches to retraining workers and supporting career transitions amid anticipated labor market disruptions caused by AI.
Raise US, co-founded by Raimondo and former Indiana governor Eric Holcomb, has assembled a diverse coalition of partners that includes technology companies Anthropic, OpenAI, Amazon, and Microsoft, alongside major employers such as Bank of America, General Motors, IBM, and Eli Lilly. The organization aims to raise $1 billion to fund workforce programs and policy experiments designed to help states and workers adapt to the evolving economic landscape.
Raimondo emphasized the need for a comprehensive "people strategy" to complement America's technological advancements in AI. “If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline,” she stated. To lead Raise US operations, Raimondo has appointed Eric Beane, former Rhode Island Secretary of Health and Human Services, as president and chief operating officer.
Although Rhode Island is not among the initial states partnering with Raise US, the state’s Brown University is playing a significant role through its Workforce Development Policy Lab, part of the Watson School. This lab will contribute to the evaluation of funded workforce programs both in Rhode Island and nationally. Locally, it will assess the impact of initiatives supported by Brown’s $50 million commitment to Rhode Island workforce development, linked to a settlement with the Trump administration reached last year. On the national level, the lab will help analyze various AI-related workforce strategies to identify effective methods for aiding workers facing economic disruption.
Raise US plans to launch its initial state partnerships in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah, serving as testing grounds to trial new workforce and education programs tailored to the AI economy.
John N. Friedman, dean of Brown’s Watson School, has joined an advisory board for Raise US that features prominent figures including Laurene Powell Jobs, Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, and Khan Academy founder Sal Khan. The collaboration reflects a concerted effort involving academic, corporate, and labor leaders to confront the economic challenges posed by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.