California Governor Gavin Newsom and technology company NVIDIA joined forces last week to bring generative AI (GenAI) to the state’s community colleges and public institutions. The California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), NVIDIA and the Governor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining how each partner can contribute to education and workforce development, with the goal of driving innovation across industries and stimulating economic growth.
The project is led by the California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) and includes the California Technology Agency, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), and the California Department of Workforce Development.
Improving AI education and creating AI-related jobs
In an executive order last year, Governor Newsom said California is home to 35 of the world’s top 50 AI companies and a quarter of the world’s AI patents, conference papers and companies. NVIDIA, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is one of those leading AI companies. According to the company’s website, NVIDIA’s AI technology powers more than 40,000 company-owned AI factories.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the new partnership will see higher education institutions and state government agencies leverage NVIDIA’s expertise to establish AI labs, develop AI curricula and certifications, and integrate these resources into existing associate degree programs and professional development tools.
“We are at the early stages of a new industrial revolution that will transform trillion-dollar industries around the world,” NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a news release. “Working with the state of California, NVIDIA will train students, faculty, developers and data scientists to leverage this technology to help prepare California for future challenges and create prosperity across the state.”
Goals and Objectives
The memorandum outlines three key goals for the next three years: strengthening economic development, strengthening the workforce and promoting innovation across the state.
According to the memorandum, AI has the potential to accelerate growth and innovation in industries including climate and energy, biotechnology, media and entertainment, agriculture and transportation. This growth and innovation will further increase demand for an already large skilled workforce, which is where workforce assistance programs come in. State agencies, CCCCO and NVIDIA can collaborate on AI education programs and hands-on training initiatives to provide these skills to students and workers, especially those from historically underserved populations who may have an easier time attending community colleges than traditional four-year universities.
“Community colleges are a good place to be because we need to make sure everyone has access to what’s going on in AI and technology,” said Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office. “We can’t leave people behind.”
A strong AI workforce has the potential to bring innovative solutions to complex challenges in the public and private sectors across California, according to the memo.
For example, Stack said, “The California Department of Transportation has so much data that I don’t think a human could parse. We’re like, let’s use AI to decipher this and make our roads safer. That’s our idea.”
To achieve those goals, the group agreed to smaller, more specific strategic initiatives, also outlined in a memorandum of understanding. The memorandum is non-binding, and Stack said there are no specific deadlines for these ideas.
The partnership will leverage NVIDIA’s expertise in AI lab design, software and hardware, while the Governor’s Office will be responsible for public funding and support of the digital collaboration platform. The memorandum states that these efforts aim to build a system for academic institutions, industry partners and government agencies to collaboratively foster AI innovation. For example, CCCCO can find ways to integrate AI and machine learning into existing curricula and develop training programs to increase teachers’ AI literacy. NVIDIA will provide educational materials and information to keep the system up to date, and teachers can receive ongoing professional development and grant support to become certified AI ambassadors.
To further bridge the gap between education and industry, NVIDIA may host workshops, seminars and networking events, while the state may establish programs to support AI startups and integrate AI projects into state government agencies and higher education institutions.
The journey begins
The partnership with NVIDIA is the latest in a series of AI initiatives Newsom has supported across the state since issuing an executive order last September calling for the ethical and responsible deployment of GenAI across state government, including research into risks, best uses, procurement, development and training.
In May 2024, several state government agencies signed contracts with technology companies to test GenAI in their systems over a six-month period. As an example, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), through a partnership with Accenture and Deloitte Consulting, aims to use GenAI to investigate near-miss injuries and fatalities on roadways, identify dangerous areas, track potential safety interventions and interpret traffic patterns.
“An average of 12 Californians die on our roads every day. We must do everything we can to end our road crisis and reach our goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2050,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said in a May 2024 news release.
Other agencies have formed similar partnerships: The California Department of Taxation and Fee Administration wants to make reference materials easier to search to improve customer service, the California Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with Accenture to use artificial intelligence to help non-English speakers navigate information about public benefits and programs, and the California Department of Public Health wants to quickly document findings from inspections of health care facilities.
Later that month, UC Berkeley hosted the GenAI Summit in collaboration with Governor Newsom, Stanford University, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, and the California Department of Government Operations. As reported by Industry Insider – California, panelists spoke about democratizing AI technology, which the partnership with NVIDIA aims to do by providing AI education to historically underserved groups. Governor Newsom also noted that there are roughly 20 AI-related bills pending in the state legislature, each written by lawmakers with different levels of understanding of AI, Insider reported.
Shortly thereafter, in July 2024, the California Department of Human Resources began offering professional development courses for public employees, including general laborers, business leaders, and technology and cybersecurity experts.
Last year, the state also published a GenAI toolkit for public servants that outlines their responsibilities as they purchase and use generative AI programs, and provides use cases, training, risk assessments, and assistance with procuring GenAI technology.
Our new partnership with California builds on these efforts, proposing a renewed focus on education and ultimately giving back to the workforce.
“Community colleges can act as hubs for their local communities to collaborate with their local counties and cities on challenges where AI could help,” Stack said.
Staff writer Skip Descant contributed to this article.
*Note: Industry Insider — California and Government Technology are both part of e.Republic.
