Walmart offers free AI training to the entire workforce
Amid a surge in workforce reductions attributed to artificial intelligence, Walmart is committing to upskilling its existing 1.6 million employees. This week, the trillion-dollar retailer announced plans to provide free training on Google AI fundamentals to frontline and corporate workers in the U.S. and Canada. It's an effort aimed at improving productivity, narrowing the widening AI fluency gap, and fostering long-term talent retention. "We all have to change," said Walmart's people chief, Donna Morris, "but we all have the opportunity to lean into what that new future is."
Just 5% of workers are AI fluent—and just 40% are using AI at all in the workplace.
That's according to new data from Google and Ipsos shared exclusively with Fortune. These numbers are striking considering we're now 3 years into the explosion of AI, first catalyzed by the introduction of ChatGPT.
The reasons for the disconnect lie in relevance and education: 53% of workers don’t think AI applies to what they do, and only 14% of workers have been offered AI training by their employer in the last 12 months.
But as Google’s chief economist told me, waiting too long to integrate technology and upskill workers could have lasting consequences.
“Failing to invest in training means running the risk of losing ground to competitors who are already reaping these rewards,” Fabien Curto Millet said.
“Employers should consider what happens when their competitors are the ones achieving that kind of jump in quality and efficiency first.”
In conjunction with the new data, Google announced it is releasing a new AI Professional Certificate, an eight-hour program focused on applying AI to research, content creation, and data analysis. And major companies, including Walmart, Colgate-Palmolive, and Deloitte, are set to offer the certificate at no cost to their employees.
That's according to new data from Google and Ipsos shared exclusively with Fortune. These numbers are striking considering we're now 3 years into the explosion of AI, first catalyzed by the introduction of ChatGPT.
The reasons for the disconnect lie in relevance and education: 53% of workers don’t think AI applies to what they do, and only 14% of workers have been offered AI training by their employer in the last 12 months.
But as Google’s chief economist told me, waiting too long to integrate technology and upskill workers could have lasting consequences.
“Failing to invest in training means running the risk of losing ground to competitors who are already reaping these rewards,” Fabien Curto Millet said.
“Employers should consider what happens when their competitors are the ones achieving that kind of jump in quality and efficiency first.”
In conjunction with the new data, Google announced it is releasing a new AI Professional Certificate, an eight-hour program focused on applying AI to research, content creation, and data analysis. And major companies, including Walmart, Colgate-Palmolive, and Deloitte, are set to offer the certificate at no cost to their employees.
The recent exodus of AI researchers from heavyweight firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI has led to loaded resignation letters — and one New York Times op-ed. In Mrinank Sharma's viral resignation letter, the former Anthropic safety lead warned of AI-related perils along with a "whole series of interconnected crises." Meanwhile, Zoë Hitzig left OpenAI because of "deep reservations" about strategy as the startup explores incorporating ads. But Business Insider notes a common trait: "All of them seem to be worried that either epic gains or epic disasters lie ahead."
⚠️ Anthropic safety researcher resigns, says “the world is in danger” from fast AI progress
🖱 A senior AI safety researcher at Anthropic, Mrinank Sharma, stepped down, warning that rapid AI development puts the world at risk. He said safety teams face ongoing pressure to sideline core concerns, including bioterrorism and other catastrophic scenarios.
🖱 Anthropic was founded to build safer AI systems, yet even its CEO, Dario Amodei, has publicly cautioned that progress may be moving too quickly and called for slowing deployment.
🖱 Similar tensions have surfaced elsewhere. Senior safety researchers, including members of the former Superalignment team at OpenAI, have left, arguing that commercial priorities are overtaking efforts to reduce risks from systems that could surpass human intelligence.
🖱 Former OpenAI researcher Zoe Hitzig resigned after ads were introduced in ChatGPT. She warned that advertising inside highly personal conversations could enable subtle manipulation, especially as users share sensitive details about health, finances, and relationships.
Safety debates are no longer internal. They are playing out in public as AI systems scale.
🖱 A senior AI safety researcher at Anthropic, Mrinank Sharma, stepped down, warning that rapid AI development puts the world at risk. He said safety teams face ongoing pressure to sideline core concerns, including bioterrorism and other catastrophic scenarios.
🖱 Anthropic was founded to build safer AI systems, yet even its CEO, Dario Amodei, has publicly cautioned that progress may be moving too quickly and called for slowing deployment.
🖱 Similar tensions have surfaced elsewhere. Senior safety researchers, including members of the former Superalignment team at OpenAI, have left, arguing that commercial priorities are overtaking efforts to reduce risks from systems that could surpass human intelligence.
🖱 Former OpenAI researcher Zoe Hitzig resigned after ads were introduced in ChatGPT. She warned that advertising inside highly personal conversations could enable subtle manipulation, especially as users share sensitive details about health, finances, and relationships.
Safety debates are no longer internal. They are playing out in public as AI systems scale.
For high school students planning to attend college, the pressure to land a summer job has morphed into something more intense. Teens must now craft a narrative about their future professional goals, specializing in a certain field before they even apply to an undergraduate institution, The Wall Street Journal reports. But while some parents pay thousands of dollars for professional assistance, one expert warns against too much outside influence. "Admissions officers are professionals at sniffing that out," author Eric Tipler says.
OpenAI recently told investors it's aiming for about $600 billion in total compute spend by the end of the decade, CNBC reports, citing anonymous sources, who say the company now projects its total revenue for 2030 to surpass $280 billion. The news comes amid doubts about OpenAI's revenue ever matching its costs. Separately, Sam Altman's startup intends to debut a smart speaker with a camera as its first hardware release, according to The Information. The device is expected to be priced between $200 and $300.