Google Launches AI Training Program For US Citizens And Grant Funds Worth IDR 1.2 Trillion

JAKARTA On Friday 26 April, Google announced that it would launch a course to teach one million Americans how to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

As part of this program, the tech giant also announced that its charity, Google.org, has budgeted US$75 million (Rp1.2 trillion) in grants for AI skills training for people in rural and underserved areas.

AI's new skills course will be available at a price of 49 US dollars (Rp795 thousand) in Coursera, a profit-oriented online course provider.

The announcement comes after Google scrapped a rule requiring suppliers and staff companies to provide their employees with a good wage and benefits - while cutting off employment for thousands of employees despite setting a profit record.

According to the course list, this course will teach users how to 'use a generating AI tool to develop ideas and content, make more informational decisions, and accelerate daily work tasks,' with responsibility.

The course also promises that participants will 'develop strategies to stay up-to-date in the growing AI realm.'

In addition, Google also announced a US$75 million grant from the AI Opportunity Fund, which will be given to its 'best labor and education development organization,' according to a Google spokesperson.

Organizations such as Goodwill Industries International will receive some of the training funds 'to empower Americans to take advantage of AI technology to increase productivity and prepare them for future jobs.'

However, there are still issues related to Goodwill paying disabled employees below the minimum wage as part of work skills training - a program permitted by the US Department of Manpower.

Google recently also announced that it is lifting a rule requiring its business partners to pay their employees well.

Google is rolling out new programs to train workers in the AI sector. However, the company continues to fight against federal labor authorities who are trying to get Google to treat its employees fairly.

Google has refused to negotiate with the workers in attendance, including on YouTube they have. This decision violates the law, according to the NLRB in January this year.

This is not an isolated incident. Google has been accused of illegally firing workers for organizing trade unions, disrupting protected activities, and generally engaging in illegal behavior to pressure workers from exercising their rights to organize for better work conditions, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

This new charity program that Google announced also emerged amid a horrendous termination of employment.

Google reported that it made a profit of 20.7 billion US dollars (Rp336.2 trillion) in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 52 percent compared to the previous year, although the number of employees decreased by four percent.

The move comes shortly after Google launched a big language model (LLM) calledANG, and after announcing a large investment in an anthropic AI startup.

This new AI course can be accessed with an independent learning rhythm and includes 10 hours of material spread across five modules.