Verizon has a new program called "Verizon AI Skills for America" and, as the name suggests, it's about AI, skills and… Americans.
In short, the telco is investing big in AI courses for people to upgrade their skills and, hopefully, retain their jobs in this AI era we're going through.
Every day, all day long, I'm listening to AI big shots explain how incredibly positive of a force AI will be in the near future (usually followed by funding requests or government exemptions and so on). But back in reality, all I see are people who complain about how hard it is to get a job these days or get a raise.
What now?
Verizon invests big. | Image by Verizon
Verizon has a new blog post in which it says it's putting $70 million behind a new AI-skilling initiative aimed at helping workers, job seekers, educators and small businesses adapt to an increasingly AI-driven economy.
Called "Verizon AI Skills for America", the program combines the carrier's existing $20 million Reskilling and Career Transition Fund with another $50 million in new funding. The money will be used to give participants free access to AI training from companies including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, Coursera and OpenAI.
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The portal
"Anyone can learn for free. No Verizon commitment required", the company makes it clear. Verizon plans to create a centralized portal where participants can access training from these companies without paying for it. The company says comparable premium AI-learning programs can cost more than $700 per person each year.
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Who is it for?
The initiative is aimed at people at different stages of their careers, including students, people looking for work, employees changing careers, educators and small-business owners. Verizon says the goal is to help close the growing AI skills gap while giving workers practical knowledge they can use as their jobs evolve.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said the company believes businesses should invest in their employees' ability to adapt to AI just as seriously as they invest in the technology itself. The carrier also framed the program as part of its broader efforts to reduce the digital divide and support the US workforce.
The program starts nationwide
Verizon says "Verizon AI Skills for America" will launch across the US, although some of the additional support services will initially be available only in selected regional markets.
The company plans to collect feedback from participants and community partners and adjust the program as workforce needs change.
On the Visible+ Pro plan, you get access to 5G Ultra Wideband data on Verizon's fastest network. Along with unlimited roaming across Mexico and Canada, 2 days of Global Pass per month, 3x hotspot speeds, 4K streaming, and Smartwatch service.
Sebastian is one of PhoneArena’s senior opinionators. A veteran news writer with almost 20 years of experience in media and technology, he not only covers all the hot news about Galaxies and iPhones, but often provides hot takes on industry trends. He’s fascinated with camera-focused flagships from the likes of Oppo and Vivo, as well as foldable phones.
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