Amazon to Teach AI Skills to 2 Million Individuals by 2025

Amazon aims to provide free artificial intelligence (AI) skills training to 2 million individuals worldwide by 2025.

This commitment comes at a time when Amazon Web Services (AWS) has found that there is a strong demand for AI talent, with potential earnings up to 47% higher for those equipped with AI skills, the tech giant said in a Monday (Nov. 20) press release.

Amazon’s newly launched initiative, called “AI Ready,” consists of three key components designed for both adults and young learners and to make AI education accessible to all, according to the release.

Firstly, Amazon is launching eight new and free AI and generative AI courses that cater to individuals of all expertise levels, from foundational to advanced, the release said. These courses are designed for both business leaders and technologists, aligning with in-demand jobs. They complement the more than 80 free and low-cost AI and generative AI courses and resources already offered through AWS.

To further support AI education, Amazon is investing $12 million in generative AI scholarships through the AWS Generative AI Scholarship program, per the release. This initiative will provide Udacity scholarships to over 50,000 high school and university students from underserved communities worldwide. Upon completion, students receive a certificate from Udacity, enhancing their employability.

In a third initiative, collaborating with Code.org, Amazon Future Engineer is launching the Hour of Code Dance Party: AI Edition, according to the press release. This initiative aims to introduce coding and AI to students through an hour-long activity where they create their own virtual music video set to popular songs. By coding their virtual dancer’s choreography and using emojis as AI prompts to generate animated backgrounds, students gain exposure to generative AI and learn about the role of large language models in predictive analytics.

This news comes about five months after Amazon launched another initiative around AI education, with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center connecting the company’s AI and machine learning (ML) experts with customers and partners around the globe. This effort is meant to help customers accelerate their implementation of generative AI.