Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly controversial topic to discuss when concerning its implementation across businesses, corporations, and society at large. Regardless of the backlash and pushback the increasingly omnipresent AI has received across several areas, the technology is proving itself to be efficient at cost-cutting and the reduction of labor across multiple key industries that make up the economic backbone of the U.S. As such, more businesses are pivoting to using AI than ever before, as evidenced by the recent implementation of it on sites like Meta and AI, each of whom has its stake in the game, founding its own AI divisions.
Now, in the state surrounding Silicon Valley, where AI originally stemmed from, California wants to equip its workforce with AI skills by partnering with Nvidia to train across the state. The AI chip giant is headquartered in Santa Clara and is currently the third most valuable company in the world.
AI Integration in Business and Education
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced the “first-of-its-kind” partnership that will focus on training students in AI, creating jobs, and using AI to solve real-world problems. While businesses embracing AI has become pretty standard and expected, Gavin Newsom’s decision to embrace AI not just in businesses but also in the literal education of students is sure to be a controversial one. So much of the debate around AI has explicitly revolved around the classroom and preventing AI from impeding on the human intelligence of young, impressionable minds. And with this decision and first-of-its-kind partnership, Governor Newsom and Jensen Huang seem to be stepping directly into the thick of these issues.
“Together with California, Nvidia will train 100,000 students, college faculty, developers, and data scientists,” Huang stated, adding that the aim was “to prepare California for tomorrow’s challenges” and “unlock prosperity.”
The partnership brings AI workshops, labs, curriculum, certifications, and technology from Nvidia to community colleges. Individuals have the opportunity to enhance their careers through these efforts.
The state of California benefits from a pipeline of AI talent and will explore how it can nurture early-stage AI startups through the effort. “We’re in the early stages of a new industrial revolution that will transform trillion-dollar industries around the world,” Huang stated.
Challenges and Opportunities of AI Implementation
AI has helped reduce repetitive tasks and streamline communication, say company leaders. A recent Microsoft study found that even though employers are looking for candidates with AI skills, only 39% have provided AI training for existing employees. And the majority of AI use in the office is still secretive, with 78% using AI tools at work “without guidance or clearance from the top.”
At the same time, it’s expensive to create AI. One model could cost $100 million today and tens of billions of dollars in the next few years. AI could also drive energy emissions up, as seen by Google’s July environmental report.
Despite AI’s drawbacks, it could have a positive impact in California through the new partnership. California is the most populated state in the nation, with over 39 million residents. California’s unemployment rate hit 5.3% in February; as of June, there were 999,897 people unemployed in the state.
For as controversial as this partnership is bound to be, essentially enacting a pipeline that teaches students how to use AI in a bid to prepare them for industrialized roles, which are increasingly implementing AI at a young age, it has the potential to set a new standard moving forward. If this process proves beneficial and ultimately profitable in the long run for California and Huang himself, more states are sure to follow the Golden State’s lead, for better or worse.
