Amazon has announced that they will provide free Artificial Intelligence training to two million people by 2025 via their ‘AI Ready’ commitment which is set to boost proficiencies in this emerging piece of technology.
AI Ready aims to unlock the potential of AI by providing much needed training and it will consist of three new initiatives which will be aimed at adults and young learners, as well as scaling existing Amazon AI training programmes that already exist.
The courses will range in expertise level and the first will consist of eight new AI and generative AI courses that will be accessible to anyone who wishes to learn more about the technology, building on Amazon Web Services (AWS) existing portfolio of over 80 free or low-cost AI resources.
The second initiative, the AWS Generative AI Scholarship, will be targeted at students from underrepresented communities around the world and will be backed by $12 million to provide over 50,000 high school and university students with access to a new generative AI course and a certificate from Udacity to demonstrate their proficiencies to future employers.
Josh Boer, Director at Tech Consultancy VeUP, commented: “Building workforces that are technically skilled in areas such as Artificial Intelligence will play a central role in capitalising for fast-growing businesses, so it is great to see large corporations such as Amazon prioritise accessible training. As tech-powered businesses continue to grow and organisations focus on their digital transformations, funding, training and educating opportunities must be kept top of mind.”
“AI and cloud services offer huge benefits to businesses, boosting innovation and offering services that can be tailored to a business’s specific needs. AWS in particular offers businesses the ability to increase agility, drive down costs and promote innovation, tapping into a suite of tailored services catering to their unique organisational requirements, working in tandem with new AI solutions. For the benefits of emerging technology to be enjoyed we must ensure our workforces are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills they need, and only then can the benefits be maximised.”
The initiatives announced will add to Amazon’s $1.2 billion investment into education and skills training for cloud computing.
