DOL launches AI‑Ready course

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a free, nationwide artificial intelligence course by text message, aimed at workers with any kind of phone. (dol.gov) The program, called “Make America AI-Ready,” opened on March 24 and tells workers to text “READY” to 20202 to enroll. The department says the course runs for one week, takes about 10 minutes a day, and costs nothing. (dol.gov) The Labor Department’s course is built around seven days of lessons on what artificial intelligence is, where it works well, how to write prompts, how to check answers, and how to use the tools responsibly. The department says it works on basic cell phones and does not require a laptop, app, or Wi‑Fi. (beta.dol.gov) Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the initiative is meant to give “every American worker” a chance to learn basic artificial intelligence skills. The department describes it as an artificial intelligence literacy effort, not a job-specific credential or licensing program. (beta.dol.gov) The rollout lands as universities and policymakers are shifting from debating whether artificial intelligence will change work to building training for workers already in the labor market. At Stanford’s 2026 economic summit, former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer said hiring had weakened over the previous 18 months and said more training programs were needed to help workers adapt. (news.stanford.edu) Stanford-backed work in this area is now being tested through a project called “Collaborative Intelligence for the Future of Work.” The Laude-backed project says it is building tools to measure how artificial intelligence is changing jobs, simulated settings where people and artificial intelligence systems learn together, and real-time signals for policymakers and workers. (laude.org) Carnegie Mellon University is running a parallel effort aimed more directly at hands-on jobs. In a university announcement on April 15, Carnegie Mellon said its “ARISTOS: Reskilling for a Physical Workforce” project won top recognition in the Laude Institute’s Moonshots competition. (cmu.edu) Carnegie Mellon described ARISTOS as a project that “reimagines how hands-on skills are taught in an AI-driven world.” That framing puts factory, field, and other physical work alongside office work in the current retraining push. (cmu.edu) Outside experts have praised the Labor Department course’s basic structure while raising questions about some of its examples and outside links. An NPR review published April 17 said the course offers solid fundamentals but also “misidentifies AI products, links out to bad advice and raises ethical concerns about the products it promotes.” (iowapublicradio.org) For now, the federal government’s clearest offer is a phone number and a week of lessons. The broader bet, from Washington to Stanford to Carnegie Mellon, is that artificial intelligence training will have to reach workers before a formal degree program ever does. (beta.dol.gov)