Milwaukee business and education leaders are among those tapped for a new state task force examining the impact of artificial intelligence on Wisconsin jobs.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence kicked off Monday. It's ultimately charged with making recommendations to the governor for state policies and investments that could help Wisconsin's economy adapt to AI.
Specifically, the task force will identify the state of generative AI's impact on Wisconsin’s labor market and develop predictions about its implications. Its recommendations will address the ways in which workforce development and educational systems can capitalize on the AI transformation.
Members of the task force include UW-Milwaukee Lubar College of Business dean Kaushal Chari, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design president Jeffrey Morin, former Fiserv Inc. CEO Jeff Yabuki, Milky Way Tech Hub CEO Nadiyah Johnson, Johnson Controls chief intellectual property and information technology counsel Karl Reichenberger, and Midpoint Ventures managing partner Israel Squires.
The 30-member task force also includes representatives from American Family Insurance, Google Public Sector, Deloitte Consulting and Microsoft, among other government and educational organizations.
Wisconsin companies and organizations including Rockwell Automation and the Medical College of Wisconsin are already using AI in various ways, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. secretary and CEO Missy Hughes said Monday at the task force's first meeting.
There are also AI-related workforce challenges, Hughes said, noting that a recent WEDC-supported survey of more than 400 small- and medium-sized manufacturers found that the majority of them don't believe AI will impact their businesses.
"Our small and medium-sized manufacturers could quickly get overrun by what we see happening," Hughes said. "It's not only in coming to us to think about the future opportunities, but to think about those foundational businesses that we have here in Wisconsin and how to support them."
The task force will deliver an action plan to Gov. Evers by July 2024 in order to have its recommendations considered in the state's next biennial budget.
