Driving Economic Opportunity through AI Innovation: The Future of Work Fund

AI is reshaping how we work – in the next five years alone, 70% of the skills required to do our jobs will have changed, accelerated by AI. We know that these impacts will be experienced differently across the workforce, at times to a disruptive degree, especially for professionals already facing barriers to opportunity. That’s why we’re announcing our Future of Work Fund, a $3 million investment in leading nonprofit innovators around the world that are harnessing AI to drive economic inclusion.

In the last few years, AI has pioneered new frontiers in helping solve complex societal problems – from reshaping disaster response to improving healthcare outcomes. At LinkedIn, we’re particularly passionate about how AI can transform workforce development and education, advancing our vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. We’ve already made solid steps forward with new AI features that help members understand if they are a good fit for a job opportunity, AI learning courses and more. To truly meet this moment, we also need to support nonprofit innovators leading the charge to ensure this technology benefits individuals most vulnerable to disruption and helps build a better world of work for everyone.

Take Manu Chopra, CEO of nonprofit Karya, who is connecting workers in rural India and beyond to AI-powered jobs for the digital economy, leading to wage growth that is 20x the recommended minimum. Or Jared Chung, Founder of CareerVillage.org, who is reaching thousands of young adults globally with an AI-powered career coach embedded in schools, public workforce centers and nonprofit training programs to provide college and career navigation support. We’re also inspired by leaders like Alex Bernadotte of Beyond12, who is using AI to free up coaches’ time so that they can focus on their uniquely human capabilities, like offering socio-emotional support to young adults struggling to persist through college. 

These are just a few examples from our 2025 Future of Work Fund grantees. But don’t just take it from me – hear more from these leaders yourself. And join our new #ConversationsThatMatter series to share your thoughts about how AI can help expand economic opportunity.

As AI continues to transform the labor market, we must ensure we are investing with intention in applications of this technology that drive economic inclusion. Nonprofit leaders have a critical role to play here as innovators at the forefront of workforce development and social progress.

If you are a nonprofit leader interested in learning how to use AI to advance your mission, we’ve unlocked 150+ AI Skills Pathways here to help you get started on your AI journey (available through July 31, 2025). And follow LinkedIn Social Impact for updates on our Future of Work Fund and conversation about how AI can help expand access to economic opportunity!