In an apparent nod to concerns about how automation will affect the job market, Google LLC on Thursday announced a far-reaching training program designed to prepare workers for the changes to come.

The crux of the initiative is a pledge to donate $1 billion to nonprofits focused on helping Americans obtain in-demand skills. Dubbed Grow with Google, the program has already seen the search giant give away $100 million in grants through its Google.org charitable arm. This included a $10 million contribution to Goodwill Industries International Inc. that will help finance a new “Digital Career Accelerator.”

Another major pillar of Grow with Google is an internal volunteering program for the company’s own employees. According to the search giant, its workers will spend up to a million hours helping the nonprofits supported by the initiative. The effort will also see Google staffers tour the U.S. and partner with community organizations to raise awareness.

Lastly, Google will operate online courses to provide training directly. The first program is called the Developer Scholarship Challenge and was created in partnership with Udacity Inc. to teach participants programming skills. Google plans to give away 50,000 scholarships, plus 2,600 more for a separate course promising to help learners become certified technical support professionals.

Grow with Google is the second initiative that the search giant has launched to tackle the topic of automation this month. Previously, the company’s DeepMind artificial intelligence group formed an ethics team that will among others be tasked with exploring the ways new technology will affect society.

These efforts are significant in several ways. Besides being a timely response to a major industry discussion, they also acknowledge Google’s own role in driving the rise of automation.

The researchers at DeepMind are developing new artificial intelligence models that can carry out increasingly complex tasks. Google’s Waymo division, meanwhile, looks to replace human drivers with autonomous vehicles. The new $1 billion training initiative is a sign by the company that it’s willing to address the potential challenges that may arise from its efforts.

The other tech giants taking part in the AI arms race may potentially decide to follow Google’s example. This is especially true since some, such as Amazon.com Inc., are exploring automation opportunities in that the search giant hasn’t even touched upon.  

Image: Google