AI Job Loss - China Shock - Gina Raimondo and RAISE US

Gina Raimondo Steven Dunbar Freakonomics Radio

Sent to progressives on 09/12/26 and created Blog entry 11/09/2026

 Have not been here for a while. Busy with many things.

I recently listened to a podcast that I am sure you will love. It is the most interesting thing I have heard in a long time. I don’t care where you are on the political spectrum, or what you are doing, you must listen to this. Please - and do let me know what you think. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519?i=1000787748617 

    OR

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-survive-the-a-i-shock/ 

This Freakonomics episode features Gina Raimondo, a former Governor of Rhode Island, and U.S. Commerce Secretary with Biden. She shares a fascinating take on the future of work with AI in the world. While she's optimistic that artificial intelligence will create plenty of jobs in the long run, she warns that a poorly managed transition could seriously destabilize the country. By "seriously" she means, catastrophic. So, listen up!

To combat this, she discusses the plan behind RAISE US, a bipartisan initiative driving a $500 million push to retrain the American workforce. It’s a really timely look at how automation is reshaping the job market, especially for recent graduates. And it is funded largely by AI companies, with commitments of up to $1B. Why? Because their existence and profitability depend on our world staying intact, versus riots in the street.

She sees that it is important that we all feel that we are contributing, that we are engaged, and productive. Guaranteed Basic Income will never provide that - if it were even possible to imagine that it could be enacted. The prevailing unemployment insurance is a very poor support, and it provides almost nothing in the way of retraining and new job opportunities. The programs she is running in these four states offer different, creative alternatives.

She shares her personal history as well, and the impact of her father's loss of his job at the age of 56, as a result of the China Shock. It gave me a "felt" experience of job loss and insecurity that impacted a lot of workers whose jobs moved to China. I can appreciate their fear and anxiety, and the need to find a common cause, and to identify with almost anyone who promised some hope. Hopefully, we will be able to plan ahead for this next one.

She has a lot of wisdom and experience. And she gives me some real hope.

See what you think. 

• The China Shock is the root of much of the political divisions in the US. 
• The AI boom will have an even larger impact on our political life and economy than the China Shock. 
• We will likely face rioting in the streets with the direction we are going.
• Gina Raimondo has created an organization that is working to address all of that. 
• It is being done at the state level. So far, 2 red states, and 2 blue states.
• Participants include a number of big AI firms.
• Initial funds committed are about $1B - not enough, but not nothing and a good start.
• The hope is that other states will adopt some or all of these, and that we might even have a federal program at some point.

You can learn more:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Raimondo
• "Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb Launch RAISE US, Uniting the Nation’s Leading Employers and Bipartisan Governors Behind American Workers," (RAISE US, 2026
• https://www.raiseus.ai/news/release

What can I say? A glimmer of hope in a world with few candles.