HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — With many jobs expected to eventually rely on generative artificial intelligence, states are trying to help workers beef up their tech skills before they become outdated and get outfoxed by machines that are becoming increasingly smarter.

Connecticut is working to create what proponents believe will be the country’s first Citizens AI Academy, a free online repository of curated classes that users can take to learn basic skills or obtain a certificate needed for employment.

“This is a rapidly evolving area,” said state Democratic Sen. James Maroney. “So we need to all learn what are the best sources for staying current. How can we update our skills? Who can be trusted sources?”

Determining what skills are necessary in an AI world can be a challenge for state legislators given the fast-moving nature of the technology and differing opinions about what approach is best.

Gregory LaBlanc, professor of Finance, Strategy and Law at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley Law School in California, says workers should be taught how to use and manage generative AI rather than how the technology works, partly because computers will soon be better able to perform certain tasks previously performed by humans.

“What we need is to lean into things that complement AI as opposed to learning to be really bad imitators of AI,” he said. “We need to figure out what is AI not good at and then teach those things. And those things are generally things like creativity, empathy, high level problem solving.”

He said historically people have not needed to understand technological advancements in order for them to succeed.

“When when electricity came along, we didn’t tell everybody that they needed to become electrical engineers,” LeBlanc said.

This year, at least four states — Connecticut, California, Mississippi and Maryland — proposed legislation that attempted to deal with AI in the classroom somehow. They ranged from Connecticut’s planned AI Academy, which was originally included in a wide-ranging AI regulation bill that failed but the concept is still being developed by state education officials, to proposed working groups that examine how AI can be incorporated safely in public schools. Such a bill died in the Mississippi legislature while the others remain in flux.

One bill in California would require a state working group to consider incorporating AI literacy skills into math, science, history and social science curriculums.

“AI has the potential to positively impact the way we live, but only if we know how to use it, and use it responsibly,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Marc Berman, in a statement. “No matter their future profession, we must ensure that all students understand basic AI principles and applications, that they have the skills to recognize when AI is employed, and are aware of AI’s implications, limitations, and ethical considerations.”

The bill is backed by the California Chamber of Commerce. CalChamber Policy Advocate Ronak Daylami said in a statement that incorporating information into existing school curricula will “dispel the stigma and mystique of the technology, not only helping students become more discerning and intentional users and consumers of AI, but also better positioning future generations of workers to succeed in an AI-driven workforce and hopefully inspiring the next generation of computer scientists.”

While Connecticut’s planned AI Academy is expected to offer certificates to people who complete certain skills programs that might be needed for careers, Maroney said the academy will also include the basics, from digital literacy to how to pose questions to a chatbot.

He said it’s important for people to have the skills to understand, evaluate and effectively interact with AI technologies, whether it’s a chatbot or machines that learn to identify problems and make decisions that mimic human decision-making.

“Most jobs are going to require some form of literacy,” Maroney said. “I think that if you aren’t learning how to use it, you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

A September 2023 study released by the job-search company Indeed found all U.S. jobs listed on the platform had skills that could be performed or augmented by generative AI. Nearly 20% of the jobs were considered “highly exposed,” which means the technology is considered good or excellent at 80% or more of the skills that were mentioned in the Indeed job listings.

Nearly 46% of the jobs on the platform were “moderately exposed,” which means the GenAI can perform 50% to 80% of the skills.

Maroney said he is concerned how that skills gap — coupled with a lack of access to high-speed internet, computers and smart phones in some underserved communities — will exacerbate the inequity problem.

A report released in February from McKinsey and Company, a global management consulting firm, projected that generative AI could increase household wealth in the U.S. by nearly $500 billion by 2045, but it would also increase the wealth gap between Black and white households by $43 billion annually.

Advocates have been working for years to narrow the nation’s digital skills gap, often focusing on the basics of computer literacy and improving access to reliable internet and devices, especially for people living in urban and rural areas. The advent of AI brings additional challenges to that task, said Marvin Venay, chief external affairs and advocacy officer for the Massachusetts-based organization Bring Tech Home.

“Education must be included in order for this to really take off publicly … in a manner which is going to give people the ability to eliminate their barriers,” he said of AI. “And it has to be able to explain to the most common individual why it is not only a useful tool, but why this tool will be something that can be trusted.”

Tesha Tramontano-Kelly, executive director of the Connecticut-based group CfAL for Digital Inclusion, said she worries lawmakers are “putting the cart before the horse” when it comes to talking about AI training. Ninety percent of the youths and adults who use her organization’s free digital literacy classes don’t have a computer in the home.

While Connecticut is considered technologically advanced compared to many other states and nearly every household can get internet service, a recent state digital equity study found only about three-quarters subscribe to broadband. A survey conducted as part of the study found 47% of respondents find it somewhat or very difficult to afford internet service.

Of residents who reported household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, 32% don’t own a computer and 13% don’t own any internet enabled device.

Tramontano-Kelly said ensuring the internet is accessible and technology equipment is affordable are important first steps.

“So teaching people about AI is super important. I 100% agree with this,” she said. “But the conversation also needs to be about everything else that goes along with AI.”

Connecticut Public announced on Friday the nonprofit broadcaster is laying off four full-time and several temporary employees. That’s a 4% reduction in staff, according to the Hartford-based organization.

In a statement, Connecticut Public said expenses “have grown at rates that have exceeded revenues for the last few years” and that some expenses were because of “deliberate investments” and also inflation.

President and CEO Mark Contreras declined to be interviewed and a Connecticut Public spokesperson declined to answer questions beyond the statement.

“These decisions are never easy and only come after taking many other steps to stabilize finances,” Contreras said in the statement.

Connecticut Public did not release the names of affected employees.

In a separate letter to staff, Contreras said, in addition to the layoffs, there will be no across-the-board salary increases for the next year. In addition, tuition and student loan reimbursement would not be offered and there will be limits on “training, conferences, overtime and discretionary travel.”

But Connecticut Public will offer its employees an increase in paid time off around the holidays.

The nonprofit reported to the IRS total revenues of nearly $23 million for fiscal year 2023 — a decrease of about $2.5 million from the year before, when reported revenues were nearly $25.5 million.

The announcement Friday follows layoffs at other public media stations around the country and in New England.

In May, GBH in Boston announced it was laying off 4% of its workforce — 32 employees — citing an increase in the cost of business coupled with flat revenues.

In April, WBUR, also in Boston, announced it was cutting as much as 14% of its staff through buyouts and layoffs, due to a big drop in underwriting.

NEPM in Springfield, Massachusetts, laid off 20% of its staff in March of 2023.

In the letter to employees, Contreras wrote, “Those affected by these changes have made lasting and impactful contributions to our organization, for which we are all grateful.”

“We believe that the changes discussed above—while difficult—will allow us to deliver on our mission sustainably into the future,” he wrote.

NEPM reported and edited this story independently, at the request of the Connecticut Public newsroom. No Connecticut Public staff or leadership had oversight or reviewed the story before it was published.

CONNECTICUT — Drugstore chains Walgreens and Rite Aid announced a slew of pharmacy closings this week, creating more uncertainty among Connecticut residents about where they can get their prescriptions filled as pharmacy deserts become more common.

CVS also has a plan to shutter stores.

Chain pharmacy executives have cited a variety of reasons for closing stores in Connecticut and other states, including reduced spending by inflation-weary customers, low reimbursement rates for pharmacy care and low dispensing fees for Medicaid enrollees.

Walgreens this week announced that it is planning to close “certain underperforming stores” as part of a “significant multiyear footprint optimization program.” The announcement was made following the release of the Illinois-based Walgreens Boots Alliance third-quarter earnings report.

Pharmacies have also said that current business models are outdated in an environment of increased competition from stores that sell much of the same merchandise, and pharmacies are still adjusting to a spike in demand for services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the closings big pharmacy chains have announced:

• Walgreens plans to close a “significant share” of its 8,600 U.S.stores nationwide to turn around its struggling pharmacy model. In an earnings call with investors Thursday, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Timothy Wentworth said as many as 25 percent of the stores — about 2,150 of them — could close. That’s on top of about 2,000 stores the Deerfield, Illinois-based chain has closed over the past 10 years, 484 of them since February.
• Rite Aid, struggling under billions of dollars in debt and more than a thousand federal, state and local lawsuits accusing the chain of illegally filling painkiller prescriptions, said in court filings that it will close another 27 stores in two states — or virtually all of its Michigan and Ohio pharmacies. That’s on top of the nearly 500 stores the chain has already closed.
• CVS has shuttered about 600 stores since 2022 and plans to close 300 more this year. The closings “are based on our evaluation of changes in population, consumer buying patterns and future health needs to ensure we have the right pharmacy format in the right locations for patients,” CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said in an email to CNN early this year.

What does it all mean for Connecticut?

An Associated Press analysis in early June shows that states have several chain pharmacy options. In Connecticut the brand names include the aforementioned Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid, along with pharmacies at big box stores like Target and Walmart and supermarkets like Big Y, Stop & Shop and Shoprite.

Whether independent or a chain, pharmacies can be important assets in their communities. They are health centers where the pharmacists and staff know everyone’s names and the drugs they’re taking, and often can spot signs of a serious illness. These local businesses are often stocked with supplies such as catheters, colostomy supplies and diabetes test strips that people need to stay in their homes as they navigate serious illnesses.

The AP analysis focused on rural communities, finding the gaps are greatest in those states. An earlier study by University of Southern California researchers found that Black and Latino neighborhoods in 30 large US. cities had fewer pharmacies than white and diverse neighborhoods from 2007 to 2015, before the current wave of pharmacy closings.

“If you’re located in a low-income neighborhood, and effectively in a Black and Latinx neighborhood, having any pharmacy is less common. And having a pharmacy that meets your needs is much less common,” Jenny Guadamuz, a co-author of the study, told CNN.

The question prevails, can Connecticut’s independents close a potential gap caused by bigger names closing?

The state’s independent pharmacies face their own set of challenges and are likely unable to fill pharmacy voids, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, a trade group that represents more than 19,400 independent pharmacists.

The group said in a statement earlier this year that new Medicare and Medicaid rules resulting in lower prescription reimbursements, in particular, put a third of independent drugstores at risk of closure and that “millions of patients could be stranded without a pharmacy.”

The latest 12-month NCPA statistics for Connecticut are:

• Number of independent community pharmacies: 120
• Total sales: $507,360,000
• Pharmacy sales: $470,322,720
• Front-end sales: $37,037,280
• Total number of employees: 1,428
• Total prescriptions filled: 7,946,160
• Part D prescriptions filled: 2,781,156
• Medicaid prescriptions filled: 1,271,386

Patients suffer when pharmacies disappear, industry experts said.

“You can think of a closure as a disruption of care,” Guadamuz, who is an assistant professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, told CNN last fall. “You had a routine: You would go to a pharmacy that was geographically accessible — ideally affordable — and was probably preferred by your health insurance plan. And then that pharmacy is no longer there.”

Pharmacy access is an important consideration in decisions about store closings, CVS spokesman Matt Blanchette told The AP, but the company also looks at local market dynamics, population shifts and competition from stores selling the same over-the-counter products, he said.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.