Key takeaways
- Amazon launched an artificial intelligence education program designed to help workers develop key skills as companies face a shortage of AI talent.
- Nearly three-quarters of employers said hiring AI-trained talent is a priority, according to a study by Amazon Web Services and research firm Access Partnership.
- However, three-quarters of companies that are prioritizing hiring AI-trained employees reported having trouble meeting their AI talent needs.
Amazon (AMZN) is launching an artificial intelligence (AI) skills training program to help workers develop key skills as companies face a shortage of AI talent.
The online commerce giant said it is committed to providing free AI skills training to 2 million people worldwide by 2025 through its “AI Ready” program.
Seventy-three percent of employers reported that hiring AI-trained talent is a priority, although three-quarters of those employers say they cannot meet their AI-related talent needs, a study by Amazon Web Services and research firm Access Partnership. Employers also indicated that they expect workers to earn up to 47% more if they improve their AI skills.
The challenges in recruiting AI talent extend beyond Amazon: McKinsey reports that “a shortage of qualified talent has been a persistent limiting factor in the growth of many high-tech fields, including AI.”
“If we want to unlock the full potential of AI to address the world’s most challenging problems, we must make AI education accessible to anyone who wants to learn,” said AWS Vice President of Data and AI Swami Sivasubramanian in ad.
Amazon offers eight free AI and Generative AI (GenAI) courses and scholarships to more than 50,000 high school and college students. The company is collaborating with Code.org, a nonprofit computer science education organization.
As tech giants including Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) work to strengthen their position in the artificial intelligence space, Amazon backed Anthropic with a multibillion-dollar investment.
Amazon shares gained 0.7% on Monday and are up 70% so far this year.
