U.S. Tech Giants Launch $500M Retraining Push as AI Fails to Deliver Productivity Boost, Studies Show
28.06.2026 - 19:50:48 | boerse-global.de
The gap between artificial intelligence hype and real-world business results has never been wider. A recent RBC survey of over 100 IT leaders found that every single company surveyed has allocated budgets for AI, yet the expected returns are largely missing. According to Gartner, only 28 percent of AI use cases meet their return-on-investment targets, while a separate NBER study reports that 89 percent of executives have seen no significant productivity gains from AI over the past three years.
Against that backdrop, a coalition of technology heavyweights has thrown its weight behind workforce retraining. The alliance, called RAISE US, was officially launched on June 25, 2026, and is led by former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. Founding members include Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, and the OpenAI Foundation. The group kicked off with more than $500 million—roughly €470 million—and aims to raise up to $1 billion for nationwide upskilling programs.
The scale of the challenge is stark. Market researchers at BCG project that up to 25 million U.S. jobs will disappear or be fundamentally altered within the next five years. Goldman Sachs estimates that roughly a quarter of all current work hours are automatable. Pilot retraining initiatives are already under way in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah. On June 26, Microsoft also released new guidelines on AI data security, while IBM, Red Hat, and Deloitte jointly announced “Project Lightwell,” an effort to patch security holes in open-source software more quickly.
But the shift to an AI-driven economy is unfolding far from boardrooms. An investigation by The Guardian revealed that workers in South Asian factories—including those supplying Tesla—have been filmed with head-mounted cameras. Their movement data is being used to train humanoid robots. Experts from Ohio State University criticized the practice for lacking transparency and fair compensation, noting that these workers create digital value without sharing in its proceeds. The cameras also raise privacy concerns, as they could double as performance-monitoring tools. Labor councils are now calling for clear rules on surveillance technology in the workplace.
Worker preparedness remains a weak link. A 2025 Deloitte survey found that 72 percent of employees know AI will alter their jobs, yet only 36 percent feel they have received adequate training to adapt. The first U.S. state to implement a public monitoring system for AI-related job losses is California. Data from the California Policy Lab covering through May 2026 shows no widespread layoffs have materialized, but certain groups are already vulnerable: women in administrative roles and recent college graduates. The International Labour Organization confirms the trend, reporting that 29 percent of female-dominated occupations are highly exposed to AI, compared with just 16 percent of male-dominated ones.
Meanwhile, companies are pressing ahead with automation. Payment processor Stripe cut processing times by 26 percent using AI agents. In South Korea, the Shinhan Financial Group will launch its new AI platform, SCoRE AI, on June 29. Compliance, finance, and legal departments are increasingly automated, raising new demands for oversight and validation. The debate over “shadow AI”—unsanctioned employee use of artificial intelligence tools—and its broader implications is only just beginning.
