Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
LAS VEGAS — As a nonprofit operating under a social enterprise model, Goodwill has long sought to use the profits earned from its retail stores and donation centers to help underserved communities find jobs. In the age of AI, the nonprofit sees an immense opportunity.
“The core of our focus right now is what does it mean for people, employers in society,” Steve Preston, president and CEO at Goodwill Industries International, said during a session at the Ai4 2026 conference on Wednesday.
While AI has apparently already displaced jobs, with tech companies including Block, Oracle and Amazon blaming AI for their layoffs, larger enterprises and SMBs are exploring how to use the technology in ways that benefit their employees and society. This is mainly because the question of how AI will affect jobs and businesses is one that businesses cannot shy away from.
Goodwill’s Goal
Nonprofit businesses like Goodwill and organizations in other sectors, such as healthcare and even the trades, can use AI to help job seekers find positions that need staffing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry, for example, is projected to have nearly 2 million job openings over the next few years. And about 600,000 jobs in certain trades are currently unfilled.
“Many of those open jobs that are really good jobs for many people we serve are going to be enabled with AI tools,” Preston said in an interview.
While Preston did not cite specific tools, he said Goodwill is not interested in filling specific AI-related roles but in training job seekers in foundational AI skills, such as understanding how AI models work and how to use tools for tasks such as financial analysis.
He added, though, that while AI will help reskill some of those in need of jobs, it will also likely lead to job loss for workers in customer service or other highly automatable functions.
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, appearing at a media event at the conference, said AI can reliably replace many lower-level white-collar jobs.
“If you take some of the work from the call centers, they’re typically badly trained and badly paid and they often don’t know the answers to the questions you ask, that’s a job that’s not safe,” Hinton, a former longtime Google employee and recipient of the prestigious Turing Award, said. “AI can do a better job, maybe not today but very soon. Any job you could retrain with AI, AI will be able to do.”
The Job Gap
However, not only is AI leading to job losses in some sectors, but it’s also creating a gap in the workforce, with entry-level job seekers unable to find employment because AI is filling those roles. For example, after the release of the Anthropic Claude Cowork plugin, the legal information services industry experienced panic upon realizing that the AI tool could perform many of the duties a junior lawyer could.
“People are right to be worried about jobs. For example, Paralegals, that job is more or less disappeared,” Hinton said. “Any job that just involves routine intellectual labor is going to be done by an AI.”
Bob Wollheim, partner at IT services company CI&T, said in an interview that using AI to address the AI jobs problem is complex. While some businesses are willing to do what is necessary to fill the gap and support the education and training of entry-level workers, a new approach is needed, he said.
“There is an opportunity for younger professions,” Wollheim said. “But [businesses] need to act differently with them than in the past.”
CI&T created an entry-level AI program for young professionals.
“They come fresh,” Wollheim said. “They don’t know how software used to be done, and they learn with us, but in a completely different way.”
“Companies will need to create programs understanding that,” he continued. “Educational institutions will need to change and prepare people better. Nonprofits will also need to support people in getting literacy about AI because otherwise we’ll have a huge gap.”
He added that one huge problem with the skill gap is the speed at which the technology is advancing. However, that will likely create more opportunities for business owners or people interested in starting new types of businesses, he said.
“There will be more space for entrepreneurship, more space for individuals,” Wollheim said.
What Businesses Can Do
Nevertheless, businesses need to be transparent about how they’re dealing with the effects of AI on jobs.
“I applaud CEOs who are trying to find ways to complement their workers with AI,” Andrew Yang, former presidential candidate and founder and CEO of Noble Mobile, said in an interview. Noble Mobile focuses on combating phone addiction. “I’d just like them to be forthright about what they’re seeing and doing within their business.”
He added that sometimes businesses veil their concern about the effects of AI.
“I get it,” Yang continued. “When you’re a business leader … there’s a very strong bias toward positivity.”