North Carolina's AI Leadership Council released a strategic roadmap on July 1, 2026, outlining 17 goals across three categories-protect, prepare, and transform-to guide the state's response to AI's impact on work and daily life. The plan calls for deep collaboration between state agencies, education systems, and private employers to build AI literacy, reskill vulnerable workers, and modernize government services.
Governor Josh Stein formed the council via executive order in September 2025, tasking it with advising on AI strategy, policy, and training. Public- and private-sector stakeholders drafted the roadmap, which organizes recommendations under the principles of trustworthy AI, literacy, workforce empowerment, transparency, security, privacy, and fairness.
"Artificial intelligence is already changing how we work, learn, and serve the people of our state, and North Carolina must lead with urgency and care," Stein said in a press release. "This roadmap gives our state a strategy to protect people from harm, prepare our workforce for opportunity, and transform how government serves the public. Together, we can make North Carolina a place where innovation and trust move forward together."
Statewide reskilling and education partnerships
The prepare category of the roadmap leans heavily on partnerships with K-12 schools, higher education, and workforce development programs. One goal is a statewide upskilling and reskilling initiative, driven by estimates that over half of U.S. jobs will be affected by AI by 2029. The council recommends identifying roles most vulnerable to automation and building accessible reskilling programs for those workers, with a target launch date of December 2028.
To support displaced workers, the council urges legislation allowing partial unemployment benefits when hours are cut due to AI. It also recommends updating the state's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) data collection to track AI-driven job losses and enrollment in reskilling programs, with a deadline of March 2027.
The North Carolina Community College System, which partnered with Google in 2024 to offer free AI training at all 58 colleges, is highlighted as a key delivery mechanism. Tracy Schmeltzer, dean of Business and Computer Technologies at Wayne Community College, said, "Community colleges play an important role in making AI education accessible to the public. Our commitment extends beyond technical instruction. We are fostering AI literacy across disciplines so that graduates in health care, advanced manufacturing, business, public service, and information technology understand how to evaluate, apply, and govern AI responsibly."
AI literacy from kindergarten to career
The roadmap's prepare section lists five recommendations that span the entire education pipeline. By June 2028, the state aims to launch a free, foundational AI training program for residents in all 100 counties, delivered through community anchor institutions. An education-workforce coalition of at least 10 employers from different sectors will define key entry-level skills and share them with colleges to shape curriculum, also by June 2028.
By December 2027, the state plans to create more pathways into AI-enabled government roles through apprenticeships and hands-on training. The council also calls on the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to encourage every public school unit to adopt an AI policy, guidelines, and a professional learning plan by March 2027. A statewide AI fluency microcredentialing program, developed with higher education and NCWorks Career Centers, is set for September 2028.
The council's recommendations, detailed in a new AI for Government strategy, emphasize that implementation depends on state agencies working with colleges, nonprofits, and workforce partners.
Why this matters for Executives and Strategy
North Carolina's roadmap is a practical template for how states are structuring AI readiness. For executives, it signals where public-sector demand for AI skills, reskilling partnerships, and regulatory compliance is heading. The emphasis on microcredentials, employer-defined curriculum, and worker transition support offers a clear view of the collaboration opportunities emerging between government, education, and private industry. Leaders tracking state-level AI policy can find a detailed model of this approach under AI for Executives & Strategy.
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