As local governments prioritize digital equity and AI, they themselves are increasingly playing a key role in expanding AI education opportunities. In Long Beach, Calif., a series of workshops offered AI education for the public, and city officials said partnering with public libraries could help scale that work. Libraries, too, play an essential role in bridging digital inequities; and here, AI is seen as the next frontier.
“With the AI Center for Civic and Social Good, we’re building on AI for All and our workforce upskilling efforts to give every resident the tools, skills and opportunity to thrive in the AI era,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement, referencing the city’s previous initiatives to expand AI skills — serving both city staff and residents.
The library came about through a collaboration between the city of San Jose and San Jose State University (SJSU) and it offers joint services to both San Jose residents and SJSU students and faculty. The AI Center for Civic and Social Good, located on the first floor of that library, will also serve both groups.
Through it, the partners hope to strengthen opportunities for learning and innovation in the community by offering a variety of AI literacy programs — all of which will be free to the public and serve literacy levels ranging from beginner to advanced. The center, which builds on other community digital equity initiatives by expanding access to emerging technology and education opportunities, will allow drop-in hours when the lab is open, for students and library cardholders. Laptops will also be made available for use in the center.
“The AI Center extends our commitment to providing free access to multilingual digital literacy resources and supportive programming that empowers individuals at every stage of learning,” San Jose City Librarian Jill Bourne said in a statement. It is expected to strengthen existing relationships with organizations including The Tech Interactive, and help expand youth programming by introducing foundational machine learning skills.
The center’s opening day demonstrations Tuesday included an AI-enabled flight simulation by the SJSU Aviation and Technology Department. City leaders shared how AI tools can improve efficiency and service delivery.
Community members can share feedback, which will be used to guide programming and workshops, on the AI Center’s website, which also has information about open lab hours starting April 6.
