Unlocking the Promise of AI for Black Learners and Workers

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to accelerate economic success for everyone—but only if it’s intentionally designed to do so. Past technological revolutions have impacted communities unevenly, often leaving some behind.

At Jobs for the Future (JFF), we believe AI can help people access good jobs, build wealth, and advance economically. To ensure it benefits all, we’re building on prior JFF research to examine how AI affects specific U.S. populations—especially those facing the steepest climb in today’s labor market.

In the first of a planned series of briefs, we spotlight the Black community to explore how Black learners and workers perceive and experience AI—and what they could gain from this revolution. Below we highlight a few survey findings from the report, which also features key themes from our interviews with AI experts. A companion blog brings our findings to life through the stories of six Black learners and workers from across the country.

We invite you to partner with us—share your insights, ask questions, and help bring this vision to life. Together, we can ensure AI drives lasting opportunity for everyone.

JFF Research on AI’s Potential Impact on Black Learners and Workers

The results of a nationwide JFF survey of 2,754 people, including 529 respondents who identified as Black or African American, indicate that Black workers and learners are already highly engaged with AI. Full survey findings for Black respondents are available here, and full survey findings for the total sample are available here.

Survey Highlights

High Levels of Awareness of AI

• 83% of the Black learners and workers surveyed said they’re familiar with AI, compared to 75% of the total sample
• Among the Black respondents reporting awareness of AI, familiarity is highest among those between the ages of 16 and 34

Frequent use of AI tools

• 53% of Black respondents said they used AI tools on either a daily or weekly basis
• Self-directed learning is the most common reason for using AI cited by Black learners and workers participating in this survey

Some optimism about AI’s impact

• A majority of Black respondents said they think AI does more good than harm, both at a local community level (52% vs. 42% for all respondents) and more broadly across society as a whole (54% vs. 45% for all respondents)
• 53% of the respondents in this population reported being optimistic about the future impact of AI on education generally

Expectations of a big impact on work

• 67% of Black respondents said that AI tools are impacting their jobs now
• More than 80% of Black respondents said they believe that AI tools will impact their job or career in the next three to five years

Recognition of the need to develop new skills

• More than one-third of Black respondents said they believe that AI is significantly impacting their own education and training
• 71% of Black respondents said they feel a need to gain new skills as a result of the impact of AI tools on their work or education

Download JFF’s new report, Unlocking the Promise of AI for Black Learners and Workers, to read more survey findings and learn more about the ways in which AI can accelerate economic opportunity for Black people and members of other populations facing barriers to upward economic mobility.

And read our blog, AI in the Black Community: Building a Bridge to the Future, to meet Black workers and learners across the country who are already deeply engaged with AI and offer informed perspectives on effective ways to develop and deploy this powerful technology to ensure that it benefits us all.