Amazon has unveiled a new initiative, "AI Ready," designed to provide free courses in artificial intelligence (AI) skills, aiming to educate workers and bridge the growing talent gap in the competitive tech landscape, where rivals like Microsoft and OpenAI are actively recruiting. The company envisions reaching as many as 2 million individuals by 2025 through the program.

The "AI Ready" initiative encompasses eight courses, catering to both business and non-technical audiences as well as professional developers, according to The Verge. Topics covered include "Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence," "Foundations of Prompt Engineering," and "Low-code Machine Learning on AWS"-Amazon's cloud-computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS).

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A picture shows the Amazon logo at the entrance of the Amazon logistics center in Amiens, northern France, on July 23, 2019.

Attracting and Developing AI Talent

Amazon emphasizes the rising demand for AI talent, with employers willing to pay up to 47% more in salaries for individuals trained in this domain, citing an AWS study. The courses are strategically tailored to not only address this demand but also promote Amazon's own AI products. Offerings include "nontechnical" learning on generative AI fundamentals, project planning around AI, and guidance on using Amazon's CodeWhisperer AI code generator.

"Amazon is launching AI Ready to help those with a desire to learn about AI and benefit from the tremendous opportunity ahead. The following initiatives are designed to open opportunities to those in the workforce today as well as the future generation," according to the company.

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To attract learners, Amazon points to the scarcity of qualified professionals in the AI field, with 73% of employers prioritizing AI-skilled talent but facing challenges in finding qualified individuals. The company intends to "democratize" generative AI education, benefiting not only its employees but also enterprise customers seeking workers with essential skills, per Engadget.

How to Access Amazon's AI Ready?

The courses are accessible through the AWS Educate site, with initial training in generative AI and an introduction to CodeWhisperer. Additional courses, covering topics like Amazon's Transcribe speech-to-text generator, are available on the AWS Skill Builder site.

As part of the initiative, Amazon plans to provide Udacity scholarships, valued at over $12 million, to more than 50,000 high school and university students from underserved and underrepresented communities globally. The scholarship, offered through the AWS Generative AI Scholarship, aims to empower students with foundational generative AI concepts, allowing them to earn a certificate upon successful completion.

Jenni Troutman, Director of Products and Services at AWS Training and Certification, was quoted by the New York Post saying, "At AWS, we believe that skills training and certification have the power to transform organizations and individuals' careers and lives." She added that "AI Ready" is an extension of their commitment to make AI and ML skills training accessible to everyone, offering free courses, programs, and scholarships for those eager to learn.

As AI continues to reshape industries, adapting to these changes is anticipated to necessitate additional skills and training for workers. Currently, the scarcity of highly skilled AI talent has prompted top tech companies to enhance salaries and benefits to retain employees in a competitive job market. Amazon, for instance, increased its base pay limit for corporate employees to $350,000 in February.

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