Creating Pathways for the AI-Powered Future of Work
Every week, there’s a new conversation about how AI is reshaping the way we work and live. The truth is: it’s happening faster than expected and transforming how we learn, collaborate, and define success.
Without clear pathways, we risk deepening the AI readiness gap, especially for those without technical background or access to quality education:
If we want everyone to participate in the AI economy, we need learning solutions that meet people where they are, across all career stages and backgrounds.
The infrastructure of the AI workforce is access and education
At IBM, we believe skills are the currency of the AI economy. Building that infrastructure must start with access and education.
That’s why we’ve committed to skilling 30 million people worldwide by 2030, including 2 million Americans in AI by 2028, as part of our contribution to the Pledge to America’s Workers. So far, over 16 million learners have already gained skills through IBM’s education initiatives, and many are doing so through IBM SkillsBuild, our free technology learning program.
Partnerships that power possibility
We are collaborating with schools, nonprofits, and governments to integrate and deliver practical, job-aligned AI education into more universities and community colleges, as we recently announced in California. At South Carolina State University, Professor Nikunja Swain is bringing generative AI into the curriculum with support of IBM SkillsBuild, helping students build hands-on skills and a lifelong learning mindset. Globally, our goal remains the same: provide the resources people need in the new AI economy.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Through these, we can impact millions of lives worldwide. For instance, Alexandra Ladyzhensky from Tampa Bay, Florida, discovered IBM SkillsBuild through our partner YUPRO. She took various courses in AI and other emerging tech, built the skills and confidence to transition into a tech career, and now works helping college students learn AI and machine learning. Her story is just one example of how access to the right tools can unlock economic mobility and personal growth.
Preparing for the era of AI collaboration
These are not one-off efforts. They are part of a broader shift toward agent-based collaboration, where we are all becoming managers of AI agents, making AI literacy essential across the board. Preparing students to guide and govern these systems is now as critical as learning to use them.
The AI era is here, and it’s accelerating. PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer shows demand for AI skills jumped 7.5% worldwide in the past year. This is a sign that people are not just aware of the shift but are trying to move with it. The urgency is real: if we don’t close the skills gap, we risk widening economic divides.
Here’s what that means for you:
It’s time to take action
The future of work will be shaped by those who can scale innovation through education, build trust through responsible technology, and create opportunities through partnership. That’s where IBM is focused.
The time to act is now.
Amazon•5K followers
5moAccess is everything. Excited to see leaders focusing on bridging the AI skills gap - equity in opportunity is what drives real impact. Thanks for shining a light on this! #IBMImpact
Brooks Rehabilitation•10K followers
5moJustina Nixon-Saintil, this is an outstanding perspective. Behind every AI breakthrough is a human being with the skills, the curiosity, and the support system to make innovation possible. Without equitable access to AI education, the gap will widen faster than the technology itself evolves. In healthcare especially, the need for AI literacy is accelerating. We’re moving into an era where clinicians, operators, and leaders aren’t just using AI. We’re guiding AI agents, validating outputs, and integrating these tools into patient care, safety, and system performance. That requires an entirely new skill set, one rooted in responsible innovation and human-centered design. IBM’s commitment to skilling 30 million learners worldwide is exactly the kind of infrastructure we need if we want people from every background and every community to participate in the AI workforce. Stories like Alexandra’s show what’s possible when access and opportunity align. Justina, as AI continues to reshape fields like healthcare, how do you see partnerships between industry, universities, and health systems evolving to keep pace with the demand for AI-ready leaders?
Chartis•4K followers
5moGreat article and insights!
Journey2bloom ~…•4K followers
5moEqual access! 🙌 this statement is worth its weight in gold not just as it relates to AI but also other aspects of business, leadership etc. when we don't know what we don't know we can't grow and evolve. We need guidance support understanding and yes access to learn the skills we are lacking - sometimes people are completely unaware of how to find access or that they even need to learn something new Great post!
Minnesota Department of Labor…•106 followers
5moAI is creating pathways for humanity to have no need to exist. We are all creatures of habit and live as entitled narcissists. So what we see today isn’t good enough, we want more. Once we realize we fed the beast to much data it will be to late and we will be like a consumer looking on the outside of a beautiful display at a Tiffany jewelry store wishing we could go inside. All the while humans are not good enough and requires a tranhuminist universe to succeed. Quite feeding the beast.