RAISE US aims to align AI growth with workers

What's happened

POLITICO, Independent, Business Insider UK and others report on RAISE US, a bipartisan nonprofit led by Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb. The group mobilizes $500m+ from tech firms to fund workforce programs, pilots in Arkansas, Maryland, Utah and Connecticut, and policy work to shield workers from AI disruption.

What's behind the headline?

Analysis

• The collaboration signals a shift from broad regulatory talk to targeted, state-led workforce programs that could become a blueprint for national policy.
• By pairing industry anchors with governors from both parties, RAISE US aims to demonstrate practical benefits of AI adoption for workers, potentially reducing political backlash over automation.
• This approach emphasizes retraining, wages, and tax policy tweaks as levers to retain labor force competitiveness, rather than halting AI progress.
• If successful, readers may see faster integration of AI into local economies with reskilling pipelines that align corporate demand with workforce supply.

How we got here

RAISE US emerged as AI policy widens beyond federal action toward state-level workforce solutions. Co-founded by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, the nonprofit partners with major tech companies and a diverse advisory board to pilot education and wage-support programs.

Our analysis

POLITICO reports Raimondo and Holcomb launching RAISE US with backing from Amazon, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft; Independent details the nonprofit’s cross-state pilots; Business Insider UK covers anchor partners and the scope of the initiative.

Go deeper

• What new programs will your state test first?
• Which companies are backing the retraining efforts and what jobs are targeted?
• How might wage insurance or short-time work policies affect workers in your area?

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