: Amazon launches program to train millions of workers in AI: report

Amazon.com Inc. AMZN is launching a program that aims to train millions of workers in artificial intelligence as it seeks to compete for talent with rivals Microsoft MSFT, Google GOOGL and others, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The program, called “AI Ready,” is aiming to train at least 2 million people by 2025 in basic to advanced AI skills, including how to use the generative AI technology that has powered language-based models such as ChatGPT. The move comes as Amazon seeks to catch up to rivals, as its own generative AI efforts have fallen behind, the paper reported. The program is structured as eight online courses aimed at beginners and those with more experience that is available free online at the Amazon learning website and open to non-Amazon employees. AI “is going to be the most transformative technology we encounter in our generation, but it won’t reach its full potential unless we really have the workforce ready to embrace it and turbocharge it in a big way,” said Swami Sivasubramanian, Amazon’s vice president of database, analytics and machine learning. Amazon’s stock has gained 73% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 17.6%.

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