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Microsoft is launching a $4 billion initiative to train 20 million people in artificial intelligence skills through a new global program called Elevate. The effort, announced by company President Brad Smith, is part of Microsoft’s commitment to “put people first” as AI becomes more integrated into work and education.

The tech titan described the program as a centralized platform for its technology support, donations, and training across schools, colleges, and nonprofits. Through the Elevate Academy, it plans to deliver AI literacy at scale, including offerings like “Hour of AI” and partnerships with educators and labor unions.

A unified platform for Microsoft’s AI training

Microsoft Elevate consolidates the company’s nonprofit and education initiatives into a single operational framework, replacing both its Philanthropies division and Tech for Social Impact team. It combines funding, cloud infrastructure, and AI tools to expand access to training and technology.

The $4 billion will be allocated over five years through a mix of grants, software, and computing resources for K–12 schools, community colleges, and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Massive training effort for in-demand AI credentials

As part of its credentialing plan, Microsoft is introducing the Elevate Academy, a program to reach millions of learners in just two years. It will offer structured learning across a spectrum of competencies, from digital basics to advanced technical instruction.

Course content will run through LinkedIn Learning and GitHub, two platforms already used within professional and developer communities. 

The academy serves as a centerpiece delivery channel, combining investment and infrastructure with partnerships and events to help learners earn industry-recognized certifications. 

National and local partners help execute large-scale rollout

Microsoft is working with education nonprofits, labor groups, and government bodies to scale rollout..

“Hour of AI,” developed with Code.org, introduces younger students to foundational concepts through short-form instruction. A summer skilling series extends access outside the school year.

Labor unions are also involved in workforce development, including the National Academy for AI Instruction and courses across the building trades. In Germany, Microsoft is partnering with North Rhine-Westphalia for better regional programs.

Aligning training with public and institutional standards

To support policy alignment, Microsoft is working with public agencies to integrate AI skills into national education systems. It has also partnered with the United Nations, the Vatican, and academic institutions to promote responsible use and ethical standards in AI learning.

These collaborations build on Microsoft’s long-standing involvement in digital literacy and public education initiatives, now carried forward under Elevate’s global scope.

Technology with purpose, training with intent

Microsoft maintains that technology should augment human potential rather than replace it. Elevate reflects that view by focusing on skills amplifying judgment, creativity, and contribution.

Work, the company argues, is deeply tied to identity and dignity, a principle it says must guide how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed. Elevate carries that outlook forward, linking digital learning to values about the role of work in people’s lives.

Another way Microsoft is supporting AI training is by giving $12.5 million in funding to the National Academy for AI Instruction, which the American Federation of Teachers is launching this fall.

At Galaxy Unpacked 2025 on July 9, Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest Galaxy Z series devices and wearables — pushing the boundaries of foldable design and connected wellness experiences. These innovations mark the next step in the company’s mission to deliver meaningful, user-centered technology, with Galaxy AI and digital health emerging as key pillars of the journey ahead.

To explore these themes further, Samsung hosted two panels at the Galaxy Tech Forum on July 10 in Brooklyn. Samsung Newsroom joined industry leaders and executives to examine how ambient intelligence and advanced health technologies are shaping the future of mobile innovation.

(Panel One) The Next Vision of AI: Ambient Intelligence

(From left) Moderator Sabrina Ortiz, Jisun Park, Mindy Brooks and Dr. Vinesh Sukumar

The first panel, “The Next Vision of AI: Ambient Intelligence,” explored how multimodal capabilities are enabling the continued evolution of AI in everyday life — blending into user interactions in ways that feel intuitive, proactive and nearly invisible. Panelists discussed the smartphone’s evolving role, the importance of platform integration and the power of cross-industry collaboration to deliver secure, personalized intelligence at scale.

Jisun Park, Corporate Executive Vice President and Head of Language AI Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, opened the conversation by reflecting on Galaxy AI’s rapid adoption. Since the launch of the Galaxy S25 series in January, more than 70% of users have engaged with Galaxy AI features. He then turned the discussion to the next frontier, ambient intelligence — AI that is deeply personal, predictive and ever-present.

Jisun Park from Samsung Electronics

Samsung sees ambient intelligence as AI that is so seamlessly integrated into daily life it becomes second nature. The company is committed to democratizing Galaxy AI to 400 million devices by the end of 2025.

This vision builds on insights from a yearlong collaboration with London-based research firm Symmetry, which revealed that 60% of users want their phones to anticipate needs without prompts — based on daily habits.

“Some see AI as the start of a ‘post-smartphone’ era, but we see it differently,” said Park. “We’re building a future where your devices don’t just respond — they become smarter to anticipate, see and work quietly in the background to make life feel a little more effortless.”

Mindy Brooks, Vice President of Android Consumer Product and Experience at Google, discussed how multimodal AI is moving beyond reactive response to deeper understanding of user intent across inputs like text, vision and voice. Google’s Gemini is designed to be intelligently aware and anticipatory — tuned to individual preferences and routines for assistance that feels natural.

Mindy Brooks from Google

“Through close collaboration with Samsung, Gemini works seamlessly across its devices and connects with first-party apps to provide helpful and personalized responses,” she said.

Dr. Vinesh Sukumar, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies emphasized that as AI becomes more personalized, there is more information than ever that needs to be protected.

“For us, privacy, performance and personalization go hand in hand — they’re not competing priorities but co-equal standards,” he said.

Dr. Vinesh Sukumar from Qualcomm Technologies

Both Brooks and Dr. Sukumar reinforced the importance of tight integration across platforms and hardware.

“Our work with Samsung prioritizes secure, on-device intelligence so that users know where their data is and who controls it,” said Dr. Sukumar.

The AI panel at Galaxy Tech Forum

Moderator Sabrina Ortiz, senior editor at ZDNET, closed the session with a discussion on AI privacy. Panelists agreed that trust, transparency and user control must underpin the entire AI experience.

“When it comes to building more agentic AI, our priority is to ensure we’re fostering smarter, more personalized and more meaningful assistance across our device ecosystem,” said Brooks.

(Panel Two) The Next Chapter of Health: Scaling Prevention and Connected Care

The second panel, “The Next Chapter of Health: Scaling Prevention and Connected Care,” focused on how technology can bridge the gap between wellness and clinical care — making health insights more connected, proactive and usable for individuals, healthcare providers and digital health solution partners. Panelists explored how the convergence of clinical data, at-home monitoring and AI is reshaping the modern healthcare experience.

(From left) Moderator Dr. Hon Pak, Mike McSherry, Dr. Rasu Shrestha and Jim Pursley

Health data is often siloed across systems, resulting in inefficiencies and gaps in care. Combined with rising rates of chronic illness, an aging population and ongoing clinician shortages, the result is a system under pressure to deliver timely, effective care.

Dr. Hon Pak from Samsung Electronics

“Patients and consumers around the world are asking us to hear them, to know them, to truly understand them,” said moderator Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team at Samsung Electronics. “And I believe this is the opportunity we have with Samsung, Xealth and partners like Hinge and Advocate. Together, we are creating a connected ecosystem where healthcare can truly make a difference — not just in the life of a patient, but in the life of a person.”

Samsung is addressing this challenge through technological innovation and its recent acquisition of Xealth, a leading digital health platform with a network of more than 500 hospitals and 70 digital health solution providers. Through Xealth, Samsung plans to connect wearable data and insights from Samsung Health into clinical workflows — delivering a more unified and seamless healthcare experience.

Mike McSherry from Xealth

“This , plus your devices — the watch, the ring — are going to replace the standalone blood pressure monitor, the pulse oximeter, a variety of different devices,” said Mike McSherry, founder and CEO of Xealth. “It’s going to be one packaged solution, and that’s going to simplify care.”

This collaboration is designed to empower hospitals with real-time insights and help prevent chronic conditions through early detection and continuous monitoring with wearable devices.

Dr. Rasu Shrestha from Advocate Health

“The reality is that with all of the challenges that exist in healthcare, it is not any one entity that can heroically go in and save healthcare. It really takes an ecosystem,” said Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation & Commercialization Officer at Advocate Health. “That’s part of the reason why I’m so excited about Xealth and Samsung — and partners like us — really coming together to solve for this challenge. Because it is about Samsung enabling it. It’s more of an open ecosystem, a curated ecosystem.”

The panel spotlighted the growing shift from hospital-based care to care at home — and the opportunities enabled by Samsung’s expanding ecosystem of connected devices. Data from wearables, including those equipped with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor technology, can provide high-quality input for AI-driven insights.

Paired with Samsung’s SmartThings connectivity and wide portfolio of smart home devices, the company is uniquely positioned to support remote health monitoring and treatment from home.

AI is expected to play a role in reducing clinician workload by streamlining administrative tasks and surfacing the most relevant insights at the right time. Platforms like Xealth offer users a personalized, friendly interface to access necessary information from one place for a more connected healthcare experience.

Left to right: Preston Wood, Payman Faed, and Trevor Crompton [Photos: DataBahn]

DataBahn.ai has appointed Preston Wood as chief security and strategy officer of the Dallas-based provider of a security-native data pipeline platform built for modern enterprise workloads.

Wood brings 25 years of leadership experience in cybersecurity to his new role. He will help drive DataBahn’s mission to transform security data management and enable intelligent automation across global enterprises, the company said.

“I’ve always believed that security and IT teams need the right data, at the right time—enriched with context and real-time analytics—to make smarter, faster decisions,” Wood said in a statement. “DataBahn’s platform is uniquely positioned to solve persistent challenges in data discovery, ingestion, and real-time visibility. I’m excited to join a team so deeply focused on customer success and innovation, and I look forward to helping advance DataBahn’s mission to deliver secure, intelligent, and highly scalable data solutions.”

Wood has served as a three-time chief information security officer and two-time chief technology officer at major financial institutions, including Zions Bancorporation, Bank of the West, and City National Bank. The company said that Wood is known for aligning security and technology strategies with business goals, and he has led the development of robust security frameworks, real-time threat detection programs, and advanced analytics initiatives.

At DataBahn.ai, Wood will partner with engineering and product teams to expand the platform’s strategic vision and deepen customer relationships, the company said.

Wood will lead the development of next-generation solutions, such as intelligent, AI-powered Data Broker workflows, that bring automation, context, and precision to enterprise-scale data orchestration, the company said. DataBahn said that Wood will draw on his dual experience as CISO and CTO in serving a dual role: evangelizing DataBahn’s innovation to enterprise customers while channeling next-generation customer requirements back into the product roadmap.

Sales leadership additions

In addition to Wood, DataBahn.ai said it strengthened its go-to-market capabilities with two key sales leadership appointments.

Payman Faed joins as SVP of sales, West, bringing over 15 years of enterprise cybersecurity sales and leadership experience. He has held senior roles at leading MDR and SIEM providers, including Lumifi and Castra. Faed is recognized for building high-performing teams and scaling partner-first go-to-market strategies, the company said.

At DataBahn, Faed will oversee strategic accounts across the Western U.S., accelerate national expansion, and lead a team of account executives focused on customer value and revenue growth.

Trevor Crompton has been appointed vice president of sales, EMEA. Crompton has more than 30 years in the IT industry—nearly half spent building and leading startup organizations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—and he brings deep expertise in helping security professionals gain visibility into complex data environments.

At DataBahn.ai, Crompton will lead the company’s expansion in EMEA, helping customers address growing data complexity while reducing storage costs and simplifying operations.

“With the addition of Preston, Payman, and Trevor, we’re assembling a powerhouse leadership team that combines technical excellence, deep customer empathy, and proven go-to-market execution,” Nanda Santhana, co-founder and CEO of DataBahn.ai, said in a statement. “Their collective experience across security, data management, and global GTM strategy positions us to accelerate our growth and deliver even greater value to enterprises worldwide.”

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