Holcomb launches group to ease workforce transition to AI with $500M backing

Former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is co-chairing an organization aimed at easing the American workforce’s transition to an artificial intelligence-based economy.

Co-chaired by Gina Raimondo, former Democratic governor of Rhode Island and commerce secretary in the Biden administration, RAISE US will work with states, companies and academics to fund and pilot policies and programs that reorient workers to an AI economy and help them maintain jobs. It has initial partnerships in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“This isn’t red versus blue; it’s an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Holcomb said in a release Thursday. “As governor, I made workforce development the centerpiece of my administration that helped train Hoosiers in every corner of the state. I learned this work gets done at the state level, in partnership with employers. RAISE US gives state leaders a playbook that connects more Americans with the skills and careers needed in the years ahead.”

RAISE US, launched Thursday, is collaborating with dozens of companies, academics and philanthropies. It’s raised over $500 million in multi-year commitments, half of its billion-dollar goal, a news release said.

The national nonprofit has ties in the AI field with the likes of Anthropic, Microsoft and the OpenAI Foundation, as well as backing from companies including IBM, Cisco and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co.

“RAISE US is tackling a defining challenge of the AI era: ensuring workers have the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing economy,” Lilly CEO David Ricks said in the release. “For 150 years, Lilly has been discovering and making medicines that improve lives. That work will always depend on people who can apply new technologies, supported by systems and policies that keep pace. We’re proud to be a founding partner of this initiative.”

This marks Holcomb’s biggest foray into the public eye since the end of his eight-year governorship last year. He previously signed a law establishing a task force to examine how state agencies use AI.