White House launches AI education task force with 2M worker training pledge

The White House Task Force on AI Education held its inaugural meeting, positioning artificial intelligence literacy as a cornerstone of America’s competitive strategy and educational future. Led by science and technology policy director Michael Kratsios, the task force outlined plans to integrate AI education across K-12 systems while securing major private sector commitments to train millions of American workers.

What you should know: The task force was established through President Trump’s April 2025 executive order and focuses on three core missions: promoting AI literacy among students and educators, organizing a nationwide AI challenge, and forging public-private partnerships for K-12 AI education resources.

The big picture: Administration officials repeatedly framed AI education as essential for maintaining U.S. dominance over international rivals, particularly China.

• “The United States will lead the world in artificial intelligence, period, full stop, not China, not any of our other foreign adversaries, but America,” said Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
• Special Advisor for AI and Crypto David Sacks emphasized that K-12 and higher education systems must adapt quickly, noting “AI is going to be the ultimate boost for our workers.”

Federal funding shifts: The Department of Education will prioritize AI-focused initiatives in grant applications, with Secretary Linda McMahon announcing that proposals including AI-based solutions will be “more strongly considered” and could receive “bonus points” during review processes.

Major private sector commitments: Technology leaders pledged substantial resources to expand AI education access across America.

• IBM CEO Arvind Krishna committed to training 2 million American workers in AI skills over the next three years.
• Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted efforts to personalize learning globally, envisioning “every student, regardless of their background or location, can learn anything in the world in a way that works best for them.”
• Microsoft announced a comprehensive package including free Copilot subscriptions for college students, $1.25 million in educator grants, and expanded access to AI tools in schools.

What they’re saying: First Lady Melania Trump framed AI development as requiring careful oversight, stating in her opening remarks: “The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction. But, as leaders and parents, we must manage AI’s growth responsibly. During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children: empowering but with watchful guidance.”

Workforce development focus: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer emphasized apprenticeships and on-the-job training as critical for preparing workers for an AI-driven economy, connecting these efforts to the president’s goal of creating 1 million new apprenticeships nationwide.

Rural education priority: Task force members dedicated significant discussion time to reaching underserved rural students, according to Alex Kotran, CEO of aiEDU, an education nonprofit, who attended the meeting and emphasized the importance of preparing rural students for the modern workforce.

Infrastructure challenges: Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright linked successful AI adoption to electricity production capacity, stating: “We will not win in AI if we don’t massively grow our electricity production. Perhaps the killer app, the most important use of AI, is for education and to fix one of the greatest American shortcomings, our K-12 education system.”

Looking ahead: The success of the initiative will depend heavily on private sector support for states in AI tools and implementation, particularly given recent education funding cuts.

• “It’s not going to be enough for a school to have one elective class called ‘introduction to AI,'” Kotran explained. “The only chance we have to make progress on AI readiness is for companies, the private sector, philanthropies, to put resources on the table.”