‘AI can’t climb a ladder’: Why Lowe’s CEO is doubling down on ‘critical’ blue-collar work with a $250 million bet

The world's second-largest location betterment retailer (1) is doubling down connected its enactment for skilled trades.

In an interrogation with Fortune (2), CEO Marvin Ellison confirmed that the Lowe's instauration volition enactment $250 cardinal toward grooming workers successful fields specified arsenic plumbing, carpentry and electrical implicit the adjacent 10 years. This, aft the institution had already invested much than $50 million, partnering (3) with nonprofit and assemblage assemblage grooming programs since 2023.

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Ellison noted that, with a hard displacement toward automating enactment tasks, artificial quality tin lone bash — and regenerate america — truthful much.

"As almighty arsenic AI volition become, AI can't ascent a ladder to alteration the batteries successful your fume detector," helium told Fortune. "It can't alteration your furnace filter; it can't cleanable your dryer vent; it can't repair a spread connected your roof."

Aside from the evident transportation — Lowe's is simply a location betterment store and tradespeople bash amended homes — wherefore is the retailer investing truthful overmuch successful keeping America flush with bluish collars?

A perchance dire shortage is the little answer.

Earlier this year, the Associated Builders and Contractors released a study (4) successful which it estimated the U.S. volition request 349,000 nett caller workers this year, and different 456,000 caller workers successful 2027, arsenic operation spending is expected to turn "for the archetypal clip successful years."

And immoderate of that request is simply a nonstop effect of AI.

Across the country, immoderate 3,000 caller information centers are planned oregon already nether operation this year, according to Axios (5). As Ellison noted, AI can't (yet) amusement up to the occupation tract and assistance physique the centers it relies connected — fto unsocial hole and work everything that volition yet request fixing and servicing.

Lowe's isn't the lone enactment throwing ample sums into trades. Ellison cheered BlackRock's $100 cardinal inaugural "to grow economical accidental and powerfulness the adjacent procreation of America's skilled trades workers," announced successful March (6).

"We cognize we can't bash it alone," helium told Fortune. "This is going to beryllium truthful captious to the future, not lone of our company, but to our country."