New York has announced a new initiative to guide the state’s artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and drive additional policy and investment to support emerging technologies.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on May 18 the appointments and launch the 20-member FutureWorks Commission to help guide the state’s response to the opportunities and risks posed by the fast-growing technology. The commission consists of public and private sector leaders representing technology, workforce development, education and businesses.
The commission includes executives from major technology companies, academic researchers, labor leaders and workforce development specialists whose combined expertise is intended to help the state identify ways to expand economic opportunity, prepare workers for AI-driven changes and address concerns about job displacement.
Members with technical expertise, including IBM Chairman, President and CEO Arvind Krishna and Terah Lyons, global head of AI and data policy at a major financial firm, bring direct experience overseeing the development and implementation of artificial intelligence at major global companies.
Workforce and economic development leaders such as Hope Knight, president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development, and Zoe Baird, former president of the Markle Foundation and a senior counselor for technology to the Commerce secretary during the Biden administration, add expertise in preparing government and workers to adapt to technological change.
The commission also includes education and research leaders whose experience in academic innovation and workforce training could help shape recommendations for updating skills development programs to meet future labor market demands.
Co-chairs Tom Perez, a partner at Mayer Brown and former labor secretary; Thasunda Brown Duckett, president and CEO of TIAA; and Molly Kinder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, bring experience shaping policies that align technological innovation with workforce development.
Hochul said the commission will help New York develop strategies to maximize artificial intelligence’s economic benefits while addressing concerns about workforce disruption as AI adoption accelerates across industries including finance, health care, manufacturing and education.
The commission is expected to advise the governor on policies aimed at expanding workforce training, encouraging responsible AI innovation and helping New York workers and employers adapt to AI-driven change.
Photo by Josh Fields from Pexels
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