PATH to develop AI training and career opportunities for industry-relevant jobs | MIT News
MIT, in partnership with Georgia State University and a growing network of academic institutions, announced expanded work under PATH (Pathways to AI Training and Recruiting) – a multi-year initiative designed to scale effective, cost-effective, industry-relevant AI training for entry-level and current workforces, with a focus on transforming community colleges into an AI-powered engine for the nation’s workforce.
“In the age of AI, economic opportunity and mobility will depend heavily on whether people can develop practical, industry-relevant AI skills and thinking, not just familiarity with the tools,” said Cynthia Breazeal, principal investigator (PI) of PATH and professor of media arts and sciences at MIT. “That means combining practical experience, apprenticeships with strong technical foundations and reliable design, skills, and people skills that employers are looking for.”
To make that happen, the program creates state-based areas of research universities and community colleges. Each hub works with regional employers to design curricula that reflect the needs of the local industry. The program also provides professional development for teachers and develops common, open educational resources that institutions can adapt and share.
“Artificial intelligence is shaping every sector of the economy, and the United States will need more and more people who understand how to build on this technology and use it responsibly,” said MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “Through PATH, MIT RAISE leverages our collective power to bring community colleges, industry, research universities, and government together to create human-centered AI approaches that lead to shared prosperity. When research universities contribute their expertise to increase access and economic mobility, we strengthen both the nation’s workforce and our collective capacity for innovation.”
Unlike many large online training efforts, PATH emphasizes in-person, collaborative learning. Students work in teams to solve real problems presented by industry participants. These projects match the types of challenges students will face on the job, helping them build technical skills alongside judgment, communication, collaboration, and ethical awareness that employers increasingly value.
The first two hubs for the program were launched earlier this year in Massachusetts and Georgia.
“As the PIs of the Georgia PATH hub, we are very pleased with the significant speed of the start, with more than 1,000 GSU students enrolled in PATH courses,” said Arun Rai, regents professor, Howard S. Starks Distinguished Chair, and director of the Center for Digital Innovation at Georgia State University (GSU) and George State University (GSU) with Georges Balasubra. Smith Eminent Scholar Chair at GSU. “Our curriculum, designed in collaboration with MIT RAISE and foundations including AI, data science, deep learning, and agency AI programs, is now being shared with our partner institutions including Georgia Gwinnett College, GSU Perimeter College, and Clark Atlanta University. It’s about building practical skills and creating tangible, career-ready skills for our diverse students.”
GSU President Brian Blake says, “Our partnership with MIT demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening the nation’s AI talent pipeline. Georgia State University brings a unique strength to this effort – the ability to prepare students from all backgrounds for high-level AI-enabled careers. By combining academic rigor with strong industry partnerships and work-based learning, we are opening up opportunities to advance AI.”
In Massachusetts, students at Quinsigamond Community College are participating in Data Science in Action, a course that introduces AI-enabled data analysis and engineering. The class includes a hands-on Action Lab, modeled after the information studies programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management. David Birnbach, a professor at MIT Sloan, leads the PATH Action Labs design team. Working with industry partners, students tackle real data challenges while building portfolio projects and professional connections.
Beyond individual courses, PATH creates clear pathways for students to turn AI learning into real career opportunities. With industry-specific insights and a shared workforce skill set, students will gain the practical skills employers are looking for, as well as the people skills needed to succeed in the workplace, such as communication, problem solving, and collaboration.
The MIT skills taxonomy team, led by Katerina Bagiati in collaboration with Professor Tom Malone from the MIT Sloan Center for Collective Intelligence, maps skills and roles from AI in all sectors such as financial technology (fintech), information technology, and business operations, with strategies to expand to areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, and creative media. The goal is to help students build skills that are relevant, recognized, and directly linked to emerging career paths.
This program is supported by a grant to MIT from Google.org, which helps MIT and its partners create a multi-state network to develop the AI workforce.
“MIT’s PATH program provides a blueprint for expanding opportunity in the age of AI,” said Shanika Hope, director of Google.org. “By connecting research universities, community colleges, and industry partners, it helps translate innovations into real jobs and sustainable career paths.”
PATH is led by Breazeal, who has assembled a cross-MIT team with expertise in AI literacy, workforce pedagogy, teacher professional development, open education, research, and the future of work. Breazeal is a professor and director of the MIT RAISE Initiative. Eric Klopfer, director of the STEP Lab and director of the MIT RAISE Initiative, serves as co-PI on this award. The GSU leadership team includes PIs Arun Rai and Balasubramaniam Ramesh.
