Concerned about your child’s career in an AI world? Governor Gavin Newsom is rolling out free, Big Tech–backed AI curricula across high schools, community colleges and the California State University system, in partnership with Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT).

On Aug. 7 in San Francisco, Newsom said the state has finalized no-cost agreements with four leading technology firms to bring AI curricula, tools and training to public high schools, California Community Colleges and the California State University system.

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The initiative is designed to speed talent development for AI-driven jobs and strengthen California’s technology leadership, Governor Newsom’s website reports.

Officials said the partnerships focus on building an AI-ready workforce across grades 9–12 and higher education, while preserving responsible and safe use of emerging technologies.

Programs include access to Adobe’s classroom-oriented generative AI in Adobe Express, Acrobat and Firefly; Google’s no-cost Prompting Essentials for students and Generative AI for Educators; IBM’s SkillsBuild credentials and support for regional AI labs and short-term certificates; and Microsoft-backed bootcamps covering AI foundations, cybersecurity and Copilot.

Institutions can opt in, and companies will provide the offerings at no cost to schools.

Why It Matters

State leaders say the agreements will help students transition from classroom to careers while ensuring employers can hire locally.

“AI is expected to touch nearly every aspect of the working world, so making sure California students are fluent in AI tools will give them a huge advantage as they start their careers,” said Stewart Knox, Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development.

Senior economic officials added that aligning education with industry needs reinforces California’s innovation economy and expands opportunity.

California notes its outsized AI footprint--including a high concentration of top private AI companies--and is pairing workforce initiatives with policy guardrails.

A 2023 executive order set the framework for responsible state adoption of generative AI, and a new expert report on frontier AI policy is informing safety, transparency and ethics.

Officials said implementation work begins immediately, with continued coordination among agencies, campuses and industry partners.

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