I feared AI would leave my community behind. Now I see a path to prosperity

There has been worry of late that AI may eliminate jobs.

I have seen the power of AI , and I can understand why some sectors are worried.

I have even worried that this ongoing AI revolution may leave behind the troubled youth in my South Side of Chicago neighborhood.

For the past several years, I have been building this massive Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center to teach young people the trades as a way out of poverty and violence.

And I’m sitting here, wondering if I made a mistake.

Have I created something that is outdated? I admit I felt this panic deep within my soul.

Was I handing my youth a caveman tool when they needed the latest technology? I wondered how we would adapt to this ever-changing world that changes so fast that sometimes I can’t even remember who was in the news last week.

So I took a walk through the walls of the new building.

It’s beautiful.

It brings me such joy to see the rooms and the promises of opportunity that come with them.

We have rooms for the trades in every aspect of construction, from wood cutting to plumbing.

We have rooms for creating new electricians.

We’ve also got rooms for creating HVAC workers and fiber technicians, and more.

We’ve got amazing equipment for our youth to train on.