Google recently unveiled its latest initiative to increase access to AI skills with the launch of Google AI Essentials — a self-paced course tailored to equip individuals across various roles and industries with the fundamental knowledge of AI to enhance productivity. 

Remarkably, this course requires no prior programming skills or experience, ensuring inclusivity for learners from diverse backgrounds. “In under 10 hours, people will get practical, hands-on experience using AI to help with work tasks through videos, readings, and interactive exercises,” Andrew Zaldivar, Google Research Engineer. 

He added: I’m one of many AI experts at Google that helped design the course. It was important to us that the training is relevant to workers across many different industries. We worked directly with other employers to test the course and implemented their feedback into the training,” Zaldivar said. 

Notably, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and Goodwill Industries International are among the inaugural recipients of this fund, underscoring the commitment to support underserved communities.

“Through the $75 million Google.org AI Opportunity Fund, we will help over one million Americans learn essential AI skills by providing grants to workforce development and education organizations, starting with Goodwill and IVMF,” Zaldivar said. “Both organizations are trusted, longtime collaborators with a track record of helping workers succeed. Goodwill will help job people in local communities across the country access the course, and IVMF will focus on offering the training to veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members.”

Google AI Essentials offers learners the opportunity to glean insights directly from Google’s AI experts and engage in hands-on experiences with AI tools. Participants will discover how AI can revolutionize their workflows. 

“The course’s five modules cover an introduction to AI, maximizing productivity with AI tools, prompt engineering, responsible AI use, and how to stay ahead of the AI curve. We designed the course to be applicable across all jobs and industries. For instance, whether you’re an account executive, project manager or event planner, you will be able to use the skills you learned in this course to brainstorm and craft compelling pitches, develop presentations, generate timelines, organize data, and streamline communications,” Zaldivar said. 

Moreover, the course emphasizes the importance of crafting effective prompts and recognizing AI biases to ensure responsible usage.

Upon completion, participants will receive a Google certificate, validating their proficiency in AI skills and enhancing their professional credentials.

“Everyone who completes the course earns a certificate from Google to share with their professional networks. As employer demand for AI skills continues to increase, this is an important first step in showcasing your command of generative AI technology and your ability to apply it to increase efficiency and creativity at work,” Zaldivar continued, “We’re thrilled that many organizations are already seeing value in the course–for instance, in addition to Google, Citigroup will use it as an employee upskilling offering.” 

Google’s collaboration with employers, educational institutions, and nonprofits further amplifies the impact of AI Essentials. Citigroup, Miami Dade College, and Stanford Digital Education are among the early adopters integrating the course into their programs, fostering AI literacy among employees, students, and high schoolers, respectively.

With the goal of democratizing AI literacy, Google’s AI Essentials course embodies a pivotal step towards ensuring that everyone can harness the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

“Google has called Georgia home for more than 20 years, with an office in Atlanta and a data center in Douglas County. We’re committed to investing in the incredible talent in the state. We’ve helped train over 400,000 people in Georgia in digital skills with local partners, and we’re excited to further these training efforts with our new AI Essentials course,” Zaldivar said.

The post Exclusive: Google Launches New Training Course Aimed At Increasing Access To AI Skills, Here’s What You Should Know appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

The post Regional Snapshot: National Aging Trends and the Atlanta Region appeared first on 33n.

By Atlanta Habitat for Humanity staff

In the bustling urban landscape of Atlanta, homeownership represents more than just a place to live – it signifies stability, investment, and a pathway to building intergenerational wealth. However, behind the city’s gleaming skyline lies a stark reality: Black homeowners are disproportionately displaced from their homes and are less likely to benefit from recent economic growth.

In recent years, Atlanta has experienced a severe increase in housing costs, with median listing prices in the metro area, rising 63% over the last five years. For homeowners along the Atlanta BeltLine trail, property taxes have more than doubled, leaving them with higher costs for maintaining and living in their home. Families facing heightened property tax and repair costs are often forced to sell their homes, many times at below-market values to investors interested in the growth of the neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, displacement of long-term homeowners is particularly prevalent in Atlanta’s historically Black neighborhoods, further deepening the stark homeownership divide between Black and White families.

Discovering WORTH Atlanta

The Wells Fargo WORTH initiative is a collaborative effort to create and preserve 6,000 homes for Black homeowners across the region, recognizing the importance of preserving homeownership for Black families. 

Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is proud to partner with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to minimize the adverse effects of displacement in Atlanta’s historically Black neighborhoods. This work is particularly important in Thomasville Heights, where the organization has invested significant resources to support resident leadership development, increase community involvement, acknowledge the history of the community, and shift philanthropy into the hands of members of the community. 

Atlanta Habitat in Thomasville Heights

In recent years, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity has served two homeowners in Thomasville Heights through their Repair with Kindness program. The Repair with Kindness program supports homeowners in completing major repairs, such as accessibility improvements, carpentry, roof repairs, storm windows and doors, and mechanical systems. These kinds of repairs may not be done otherwise due to the competing costs of staying in their home.

To date, Atlanta Habitat has supported more than 280 homeowners in some Atlanta neighborhoods through its Repair with Kindness program, managing one of the region’s largest homeowner preservation programs. 

Partners for preservation

Through the WORTH initiative, Atlanta Habitat aims to support more than 325 Black homeowners, helping to keep them in their homes and weather the pressure of heightened housing costs and property taxes. 

To learn more about the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta WORTH Initiative, visit www.cfgreateratlanta.org/worth. Visit www.atlantahabitat.org/repair-with-kindness to learn more about the Atlanta Habitat Repair for Kindness Program.

This is sponsored content.

The post Discovering WORTH Atlanta: A Homeownership Collaborative appeared first on SaportaReport.

Construction on an adaptive-reuse project transforming old warehouse buildings in Southwest Atlanta will hopefully commence by the end of this year, Urbanize Atlanta first reported.

The first phase of Oakland Exchange is set to feature 126 residential units and 15,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the news outlet. The mixed-use development with additional housing, retail and office space planned will eventually encompass five acres.

The property on Murphy Avenue is the site of the former Cut Rate Box warehouse buildings, near the Murphy Crossing redevelopment site and the West End and Oakland City MARTA stations.

Urban Realty Partners is the development team behind the project, with Kronberg Urbanists + Architects and Praxis3 as the architecture and design teams.

“URP is thoughtfully building a compelling environment across five acres for a positive, productive future – strengthened by the historic buildings and new beginnings,” reads the Oakland Exchange website.

The vision for the site has transformed over time, changing from office-focused to more residential. It also used to be referred to as “The Murphy.” Talk of redeveloping the warehouse complex has been swirling since 2019.

See Urbanize Atlanta for the full report.