A new bipartisan nonprofit organization called RAISE US is launching with over $500 million in funding to develop education and training programs aimed at helping American workers adapt to rapid artificial intelligence-driven workplace transformation. The initiative represents a market-based, state-focused alternative to federal intervention, partnering directly with states and employers rather than relying on Washington bureaucracy to address potential job displacement.
Founded by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, RAISE US aims to pilot innovative programs and create incentives that enable workers to transition into new careers within an increasingly automated economy. The nonprofit's strategy emphasizes private-sector collaboration and state-level experimentation, positioning regional governments as laboratories for policies that could eventually inform national approaches.
Strategic Focus on States and Market Solutions
RAISE US is deliberately bypassing traditional federal channels, instead partnering with state officials in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah, along with major American corporations and philanthropic organizations. The group intends to develop policies that strengthen connections between educational institutions and employers, transforming potential layoffs into opportunities for workers to transition into higher-income positions. The organization is also exploring corporate tax modifications and other market-based incentives designed to maintain workforce participation and economic stability.
Raimondo, who served as Rhode Island's Democratic governor before her role shaping AI policy at the Commerce Department, will lead RAISE US as CEO. The advisory board reflects serious bipartisan and business leadership, including former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, investment manager Stephen Schwarzman, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, and economists David Autor, Erik Brynjolfsson, and Raj Chetty.
Anchor corporate partners include Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, and Bank of America, with additional participation from UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco, and IBM. This broad private-sector engagement demonstrates business confidence in market-driven workforce adaptation rather than government mandates.
The Scale of Transformation
An April analysis by the Boston Consulting Group estimated that approximately half of U.S. jobs will be reshaped by artificial intelligence in the coming years, with as many as 25 million jobs potentially eliminated within five years. In March, Goldman Sachs separately projected that a quarter of U.S. work hours could be automated by AI. These projections underscore the magnitude of economic disruption ahead.
AI's potential impact spans multiple sectors: driverless trucks could transform transportation, robotics could reshape manufacturing, and automation could displace office workers, lawyers, and doctors. The scale and speed of this transformation challenge traditional institutional responses.
Raimondo stated that the organization recognizes "a certain level of unemployment that could destabilize our country and our democracy," framing workforce adaptation as essential to democratic stability. Holcomb emphasized the economic philosophy underlying the initiative: "Good things tend to happen when you convert have-nots into haves."
Current Labor Market Dynamics
President Donald Trump has expressed limited concern about AI-driven job displacement. When asked on Tuesday during a visit to a Mack Trucks factory in Pennsylvania whether AI could cause trucking job losses, Trump responded, "Right now, they're not," and noted that the economy currently faces significant labor shortages. Trump stated, "We have, right now, so many jobs that are going to be available and the biggest problem we have is getting the people. So we're really doing spectacular."
However, recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data presents a more complex picture. Manufacturing has shed 68,000 jobs and the trucking transportation sector has cut 28,300 jobs since the start of Trump's second term, suggesting that AI-related economic shifts may already be affecting specific sectors despite overall labor market strength.
Institutional Preparedness Concerns
AI experts have identified significant gaps between the pace of technological disruption and the capacity of existing institutions to respond. Vivienne Ming, a neuroscientist and author of "Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People," observed that "AI is now disrupting multiple sectors simultaneously, faster than any institution can respond." Ming noted that while economists argue AI-generated wealth could create sufficient new demand to offset job losses, the skills required in an AI economy extend beyond traditional trades and demand intellectual flexibility and curiosity.
Ming emphasized a critical institutional failure: "Neither our education system nor our labor policies are building the foundational human capital that AI-era work actually requires." This assessment suggests that traditional four-year college programs and 20th-century unemployment insurance structures may be inadequate for the scope and speed of AI-driven economic transformation.
Raimondo indicated that RAISE US intends to use states as testing grounds for innovative policies that Congress might eventually adopt, noting skepticism about near-term federal action. She stated, "I don't have a lot of hope for bold action by Congress in the next few years on this issue, and I don't think we can wait a few years." She added that historical precedent suggests federal policymakers typically examine successful state-level experiments before implementing broader reforms.
Why This Matters:
The emergence of RAISE US reflects a pragmatic recognition that market-driven, decentralized solutions may be more effective than federal mandates in addressing AI-driven workforce disruption. By partnering with states and private employers rather than expanding federal programs, the nonprofit avoids the inefficiencies and bureaucratic delays characteristic of Washington-based initiatives. The $500 million investment in education and training represents a market-based approach to human capital development—allowing workers and employers to identify skill needs organically rather than through government planning. The initiative's emphasis on corporate tax incentives and employer partnerships leverages competitive market forces rather than government coercion. However, the scale of projected job displacement—potentially 25 million positions over five years—raises questions about whether state-level experimentation can occur quickly enough to prevent significant economic disruption. The gap between current institutional capacity and the speed of technological change suggests that even well-intentioned private-sector efforts may struggle to match the pace of transformation, potentially exposing weaknesses in America's ability to maintain both economic dynamism and social stability during periods of rapid technological change.