In a bid to democratize access to artificial intelligence (AI) education and address the global demand for AI talent, Amazon has introduced the ‘AI Ready’ initiative. The commitment, announced by Swami Sivasubramanian, Vice President of Data and AI at AWS, aims to provide free AI skills training to 2 million people worldwide by 2025.

The ‘AI Ready’ initiative responds to a recent study by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and research firm Access Partnership, which highlighted the strong demand for AI talent and the potential for individuals with AI skills to earn up to 47% more in salaries.

To achieve this ambitious goal, Amazon is launching three new initiatives:

• Eight New and Free AI Courses: These courses, ranging from foundational to advanced levels, cater to a diverse audience, including business leaders and technologists. Amazon is committed to removing financial barriers by providing free access to these courses, which complement the existing 80+ free and low-cost AI courses and resources offered by AWS.
• AWS Generative AI Scholarship: Over 50,000 high school and university students globally will gain access to a new generative AI course on Udacity through this scholarship program.
• Collaboration with Code.org: Amazon is partnering with Code.org to facilitate generative AI learning for students, expanding opportunities for the future generation.
  The pressing need for an AI-savvy workforce is evident in the study’s findings:

73% of employers prioritize hiring AI-skilled talent, but three out of four struggle to meet their AI talent needs.

Employers anticipate up to a 47% increase in salaries for workers upskilled in AI.
93% of businesses expect to integrate AI solutions across their organizations in the next five years.

To support professionals in the workplace, Amazon is introducing a diverse range of free AI and generative AI courses, addressing in-demand jobs and aligning with various skill levels. These courses cover topics such as prompt engineering, low-code machine learning, language models, and AI applications like Amazon Transcribe.

Furthermore, the AWS Generative AI Scholarship, valued at over $12 million, will be extended to 50,000 high school and university students from underserved and underrepresented communities globally. Eligible students can access the Udacity course ‘Introducing Generative AI with AWS’ for free, providing hands-on experience and a certificate upon completion.

In collaboration with Code.org, Amazon is introducing the ‘Hour of Code Dance Party: AI Edition.’ This initiative aims to make learning about generative AI accessible and fun for students, allowing them to create their virtual music videos and explore the basics of coding and AI.

The ‘AI Ready’ commitment aligns with Amazon’s broader investment in skills training, including AWS’s commitment to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million people by 2025. With a track record of already training over 21 million individuals, Amazon is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future workforce with essential AI and cloud computing skills.”