Q+A: 3 million Australians to be trained: the push to make AI inclusive
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What is the focus of the Microsoft AI Tour in Australia?
Welcome to Fear and Greed Q&A, where we ask and answer questions about business, investing, economics, politics, and more. I'm Sean Aylmer. We know the impact AI can have on businesses, improving productivity, streamlining operations, changing the way we work. But the technology goes far beyond that and can have a profound effect on organisations and institutions that are central to our communities, like schools and not-for-profits. Today's episode is part of a series centred around the Microsoft AI Tour in Sydney yesterday, exploring how businesses and organisations can drive real change with the latest technology. Justin Spellhog is the president of Microsoft Elevate. He's based in the US, but he's in Australia for the tour.
Justin, welcome to Fear and Greed. It's great to be here, Sean. Thank you. So before we get to AI and technology, I want to hear about you. You served in the Marines. I did serve in the Marines.
It's a glamorous background. Well, it can be, although it's also down and dirty as well.
How is AI impacting education and nonprofit organizations?
I come from two parents that were social workers. They taught me a lot about what service meant. I tried to manifest that much to my father's chagrin by joining the Marines. But throughout my career, I've always created this intersection between people, technology, social outcomes.
Okay, I mean, that kind of leads you well into Microsoft Elevate. So just explain what that is exactly.
Yeah, I think the AI tour talked a little bit about this, which is, listen, AI technology is moving fast, 1.3 billion users in 39 months. It's changing how we think, work, and play. It's changing jobs. It's changing employment opportunities. It's changing economic opportunities. And for those opportunities to be inclusive, we have to take a system-wide approach, which is what Microsoft Elevate's really all about, Sean. It's about working with schools. to ensure they have the capacity, the training, and the skills that they need, especially the teachers, so they can equip students effectively for the AI economy. It's about working with workforce and ensuring that organized labor and companies have the capacity they need to transition their labor force to make the most of this economy.
What initiatives are being launched to train Australians in AI skills?
And it's about working with nonprofits to ensure that we're not leaving anyone behind.
There's sort of an altruism in this, and it's not necessarily something that you think big business comes at. But Microsoft, do you think, has a responsibility in that sense?
100%. I mean, we can do well and do good at the same time. When society does well, when business does well, when schools do well, when people get jobs, that is when Microsoft also does well. So it's a symbiotic relationship.
Kind of says the social impact and the business coming together.
on a very long-term view, right? Over time.
Okay. So yesterday at the AI tour, there are a number of announcements affecting Australian organizations. What about Elevate for Educators, Elevate for Changemakers? What were some of the announcements yesterday and explain them to me?
Yeah, well, one of the big announcements
How does Microsoft Elevate support educators and changemakers?
was, as we think about this AI economy, particularly in the ANZ region in Australia, it's so important we're getting everybody equipped with the skills, as I was just mentioning. So one of the big announcements we made was around equipping 3 million people across the country with the skills that they need. That includes in business, that includes a major investment that we're making in education, that includes investments that we're making through LinkedIn. And then you asked about Elevate for educators and Elevate maybe for changemakers. And those are two programs that we've recently launched to help teachers get the skills that they need by using credentials that we've built with OECD, we've built with ISTE.
So these are nationally recognized AI credentials helping teachers skill up so they can figure out how to use these tools in effective, safe manners that actually promote learning outcomes in effective manners. And then Elevate for Changemakers is all about equipping nonprofits with those same skills.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the focus of the Microsoft AI Tour in Australia?
0:06–1:04
2
How is AI impacting education and nonprofit organizations?
1:04–2:11
3
What initiatives are being launched to train Australians in AI skills?
2:11–3:01
4
How does Microsoft Elevate support educators and changemakers?
3:01–5:07
5
What are the first steps for nonprofits to adopt AI?
5:07–6:43
6
How can organizations create a safe environment for AI experimentation?
6:43–8:04
7
What are the unique challenges of AI adoption in Australia?
8:04–9:14
8
What are the expected outcomes of AI integration in education?
9:14–12:26
Speakers
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