As the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs becomes increasingly difficult for businesses to ignore, some organizations are turning to the technology to help job seekers prepare for changing workplaces.

August 5, 2026

LAS VEGAS -- Goodwill, a nonprofit operating under a social enterprise model, has long used profits from its retail stores and donation centers to support underserved communities in finding work. In the age of AI, the organization says it sees a significant opportunity.

“The core of our focus right now is what does it mean for people, employers in society,” said Steve Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, during a session at the Ai4 2026 conference.

AI has already been linked to job displacement, with tech companies including Block, Oracle and Amazon blaming the technology in layoffs. At the same time, large enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses are exploring ways to use AI in ways that benefit employees and society. That is pushing employers, educators and nonprofits to think about not just which jobs may change, but how workers can be prepared for roles that still need people and for tasks increasingly shaped by AI. Businesses are confronting the question of how AI will affect work and operations whether they want to or not.

Goodwill’s goal

Organizations such as Goodwill, along with employers in sectors including healthcare and the trades, can use AI to help job seekers find positions that still need workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is projected to have nearly 2 million job openings over the next few years. About 600,000 jobs in certain trades are currently unfilled.

Related: Alibaba Unveils Its ‘Most Powerful’ AI Model Yet

“Many of those open jobs that are really good jobs for many people we serve are going to be enabled with AI tools,” Preston said in an interview.

Preston did not name specific tools, but said Goodwill is not focused on preparing people for narrow AI-specific roles. Instead, it is training job seekers in foundational AI skills, including how AI models work and how to use AI tools for tasks such as financial analysis.

He also said AI will likely help reskill some people who need jobs, but it may also eliminate roles in customer service and other highly automatable functions.

The job gap

AI is not only affecting employment through job losses in some sectors; it is also creating a gap in the workforce, as some entry-level job seekers struggle to find opportunities because AI is taking over tasks once assigned to junior workers. After the release of the Anthropic Cowork plugin, the legal information services industry reacted with concern after realizing the AI tool could perform many of the duties a junior lawyer could.

“It’s complex, and it involves a lot of players,” Bob Wollheim, partner at IT services company CI & T, said in an interview. He said some businesses are willing to do what is needed to close the gap and support education and training for entry-level workers, but that a new approach is required.

Related: Prompt: Enterprises Grapple With Cost of AI Scale

“There is an opportunity for younger professions,” Wollheim said. “But [businesses] need to act differently with them than in the past.”

CI & T has created an entry-level AI program for young professionals.

“They come fresh,” Wollheim said. “They don’t know how software used to be done, and they learn with us, but in a completely different way.”

“Companies will need to create programs understanding that,” he continued. “Educational institutions will need to change and prepare people better. Nonprofits will also need to support people in getting literacy about AI because otherwise we’ll have a huge gap.”

He added that the speed of technological change is a major challenge in the skills gap. At the same time, he said, the rapid pace of AI development will likely create more opportunities for business owners and people interested in starting new kinds of businesses.

“There will be more space for entrepreneurship, more space for individuals,” Wollheim said.

What businesses can do

Businesses, Wollheim and others said, need to be transparent about how they are handling AI’s effects on jobs.

“I applaud CEOs who are trying to find ways to complement their workers with AI,” Andrew Yang, former presidential candidate and founder and CEO of Noble Mobile, said in an interview. Noble Mobile focuses on combating phone addiction. “I’d just like them to be forthright about what they’re seeing and doing within their business.”

Related: OpenAI Cuts Model Prices Amid Enterprises’ Concerns About AI Spend

Yang said some companies obscure their concerns about AI’s effects.

“I get it,” Yang continued. “When you’re a business leader … there’s a very strong bias toward positivity.”