The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence \u2014 and what it means for Connecticut\u2019s economy, its residents and its businesses \u2014 has been top of mind for state leaders this year.<\/p>\n
Economic development leaders and businesses hope that AI will drive a productivity boom. State residents, however, have often voiced concern \u2014 be it anxiety about the intentions behind an AI workforce center in Hartford<\/a>, worries over the possible environmental effects of data center development<\/a>, or frustrations about how workers could be displaced<\/a> across the state. There\u2019s also widespread debate around how AI is used in employment decisions, productivity metrics, and employee assessments.<\/p>\n For Connecticut officials, AI presents a more fundamental question: how to train a workforce to engage with something that\u2019s still very much in development.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s going to lose their job over AI,\u201d Gov. Ned Lamont said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to provide you the training to make sure it\u2019s a tool that helps you do your job better,\u201d\u00a0adding, \u201cWe\u2019re always going to have that human oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent months, state leaders and political officials have announced a number of investments in AI related workforce development and education. New legislation will support those efforts, including the Connecticut AI Academy, AI literacy programs for teachers and new programs for worker reskilling and job training.<\/p>\n And in the months to come, the state will embark on a multifaceted workforce development effort aimed at preparing workers for the AI transition. That includes a recently-announced partnership with RAISE US<\/a>, a new nonpartisan organization that plans to support workers through a mix of retraining and upskilling. As part of the collaboration, Connecticut will work with the organization to develop pilot workforce programs aimed at training workers to interact with AI, using the lessons from Connecticut and other partner states to inform a national workforce strategy.<\/p>\n The workforce development effort, officials say, is part of a larger plan that includes a federally-supported quantum computing business incubator<\/a>, new AI policy, and a push to create a tech-oriented economy in the state. The effort, officials hope, will cement Connecticut\u2019s status as a national model for how states can approach balancing innovation and technology-based economic development with resident needs.<\/p>\n Those involved in the effort say that Connecticut is up to the challenge, adding that officials are clear-eyed about the complexity of the task.<\/p>\n \u201cAI has tremendous opportunities for the Connecticut economy, but there are challenges associated with it,\u201d said Dan O\u2019Keefe, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development.<\/p>\n A national partnership<\/p>\n Connecticut\u2019s new partnership with RAISE US is the highest-profile part of the state\u2019s larger AI workforce development effort. The national organization is working to convene<\/a> companies like Anthropic and Amazon, with experts and state government officials to the same table to create a plan.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy \u2014 and we cannot lead without one,\u201d said Gina Raimondo, a former U.S. Commerce Secretary and Rhode Island governor, who is serving as the co-founder and CEO of the national organization<\/a>. \u201cIf we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won\u2019t have won anything; we\u2019ll have automated our own decline.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, the organization is launching with collaborations with four states: Arkansas, Maryland, Utah, and Connecticut. Each state will develop its own workforce pilot programs that RAISE US will support.<\/p>\n In Arkansas for example, the organization is backing a career navigation program called ArkansasLAUNCH<\/a>. In Maryland,\u00a0RAISE US is supporting career transition programming<\/a> and other support for displaced workers.<\/p>\n The organization, which is co-founded by Raimondo and former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, hopes to measure success by looking at job creation as opposed to metrics like program enrollment or training hours.<\/p>\n What Connecticut\u2019s pilot will look like is still unclear. Asked for more details, the governor\u2019s office noted that the collaboration is still in its early days, and that the state is still in the process of shaping its pilot with RAISE US\u2019s support.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for RAISE US said in an emailed statement that the group is still working to set up shop in the state, but that the plan \u201cbuilds on the momentum the state has already created through its existing sector partnerships and economic development efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n The idea\u00a0is that whatever program Connecticut ultimately unveils, the lessons learned from the pilot will help inform RAISE US\u2019s future work. The national organization has already raised some $500 million for the initiative. It\u2019s also standing up a policy lab to conduct research.<\/p>\n The effort strongly touts its bipartisan nature. And it\u2018s taking a moderate approach, focusing on state-level efforts to help employers and workers through the AI transition \u2014 rather than broader, national policy proposals like taxing AI companies or promoting guaranteed income programs to support displaced workers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t red versus blue; it\u2019s an all-hands-on-deck moment,\u201d Holcomb said\u00a0in a June press release.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s participation in RAISE US comes at a time of federal stagnation on AI policy. While the Trump administration has released a framework for artificial intelligence<\/a>, the proposal has been criticized for being lenient on companies and faces an unclear path forward in Congress.<\/p>\n State officials say that with current uncertainty at the federal level, local government has a chance to take the lead on what AI policy and workforce strategy could look like.<\/p>\n \u201cStates are where the rubber really hits the road,\u201d O\u2019Keefe said. \u201cI think the federal government has been a bit hands off on things, and we felt the need to fill the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a moment that Connecticut officials say the state cannot afford to miss out on. \u201cWhat we\u2019re really doing is making sure that we have better alignment between skills, what the jobs out there are and what we\u2019re providing people in terms of training,\u201d Lamont said. \u00a0<\/p>\n A larger workforce effort<\/p>\n At the national level, there has been considerable concern that AI could disrupt countless industries and hurt the labor force. While economists have largely pushed against the idea<\/a> that the technology has ushered in a wave of mass layoffs and immediate upheaval of work as we know it, a growing number of labor experts and scientists<\/a> acknowledge that AI could have a significant impact on the workforce in the coming years if the technology expands without guardrails.<\/p>\n But Connecticut\u2019s leaders are more optimistic. Earlier this year, the governor\u2019s office noted <\/a>that demand for artificial intelligence skills are increasing in the state, with more than 11,000 jobs in the state explicitly seeking AI knowledge since August 2024, a 40% increase from the prior year. In positions requiring a bachelor\u2019s or associate\u2019s degree, one in 23 roles in the state now call for some level of AI expertise.<\/p>\n Those involved in Connecticut\u2019s plans note that supporting the state\u2019s workforce through the AI transition is complex. The work needs to balance three things: support for career pathways and education targeted at students, assistance with credentialing and upskilling for workers looking to advance in AI-related fields, and providing opportunities for reskilling and retraining for workers seeking new jobs after spending years in other roles.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state is really taking a comprehensive approach to ensuring that Connecticut is well prepared and well positioned to excel in the age of AI,\u201d said Kelli-Marie Vallieres, the commissioner of the state\u2019s Office of Workforce Strategy. \u201cThat includes preparing our students and our workers at all levels, both with the technical skills that they need and almost more importantly with the durable learning skills that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n OWS is involved in a number of initiatives aimed at advancing this work. AI-related workforce development is a component of the third round of the Tech Talent Accelerator, a four-year-old program that aims to support training and workforce development through partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses.<\/p>\n