Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is positioning Arkansas as an early test case in one of the country's biggest private efforts yet to prepare workers for AI-driven job disruption.

Why it matters: Competing AI labs are coming together to fund an effort aimed at addressing the labor market hit that their own technology could cause.

Driving the news: Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb are launching Raise Us, a $500 million effort — with help from Anthropic and OpenAI Foundation — to help states and employers prepare workers for an AI economy that could reshape jobs far beyond tech.

Zoom in: Arkansas is one of the first four states partnering with Raise Us, alongside Connecticut, Maryland and Utah. In Arkansas, the group says it will support Arkansas LAUNCH, the state's AI-powered career navigation platform meant to connect students and jobseekers to training and employer-linked pathways.

• "As artificial intelligence transforms America's economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them," Sanders said in a news release about the launch.

The latest: The launch lands the same day a report from Olivia Walton's Ingeborg Investments was released that says AI is already breaking apart the old career ladder.

• It says automation is eroding entry-level work, making individual contributions harder to measure and pushing more workers toward independent, AI-enabled businesses, with women facing added risks from bias and hiring systems that favor networks over merit.

The big picture: Several tech companies have launched initiatives aimed at recruiting and training blue-collar workers who can facilitate data center builds.

• Raise Us focuses on AI's impact on the broader workforce, with a wider reach through public and private partnerships.

Zoom out: Corporate participants — who will also fund the effort — include Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Bank of America, Eli Lilly and more, as well as various state governments, educators and philanthropists.

• The group has already secured $500 million and hopes to raise $1 billion.
• The money will support programs including a startup accelerator for displaced workers learning how to start their own businesses or paid service years to give high school graduates a path toward AI-resilient careers.

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Pride Month is drawing to a close, but there's still plenty happening if you want to celebrate and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

Here's how to take part:

🏳️‍⚧️ Tonight — Northwest Arkansas Pride Weekend starts with a Trans March pre-rally at 6:30pm near Central United Methodist Church, at the corner of Dickson Street and Highland Avenue in Fayetteville. The march is at 7pm on Dickson Street, and a rally follows until 8:15pm at the Upper Ramble.

• The Dickson Divas Drag Show is at 8:20pm. Later, Baby Tate performs at 10:30pm at the Upper Ramble and C4 Nightclub hosts A Night With the Boys at 9pm.

🏳️‍🌈 Saturday — The weekend keeps rolling with music and drag performances at Fayetteville's Upper Ramble starting at 11am, plus the Family Zone and Sparkle Story Time at the Walton Arts Center.

• Highlights include CeCe Peniston at 4:45pm, and the NWA Pride Parade on Dickson Street at 6pm.
• After-parties include Glitterville at George's (tickets for $34, but it appears to be sold out), Her Set Her Sound at Sidecar Lounge, and The White Party at C4 Nightclub.

🫖 Sunday — Weekend events wrap with adults-only Hi Tea: Tea Dance & Pool Party (tickets start at $29) at Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville, starting at noon.

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🏛️ Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders selected Siloam Springs as the monthly "Arkansas' Capital for a Day," to be observed on Tuesday. (Gov. Sanders administration)

🍬 Arkansas still plans to begin enforcing its SNAP junk food restrictions on Wednesday, even after a federal judge blocked similar bans in five other states and advocates said Arkansas' waiver faces the same legal vulnerabilities. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

🏀 Arkansas guards Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile were selected back-to-back in the second round of the NBA Draft, giving the Razorbacks three picks this year after Darius Acuff went No. 7 overall in the first round. (Whole Hog Sports)

I hate to love these damnable birds.

• They've done a fair amount of damage to my house.

But man, there's nothing like the sight and sound of a woodpecker.