Nonprofit, policy “think-and-do tank” Heartland Forward and Dallas-based edtech company Stemuli, have launched a partnership to develop an AI-powered learning platform to help rural students and entrepreneurs learn the AI skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s economy.

The partnership was announced in May at Heartland Forward’s flagship event, the Heartland Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas. The partnership will deliver geographically relevant, gamified AI training directly to rural students and entrepreneurs in the heartland.

“AI literacy is emerging as a fundamental skill for our next-generation workforce, and we must ensure heartland students and entrepreneurs are prepared for the future of the AI economy,” Angie Cooper, president and COO at Heartland Forward, said in an announcement.

Cooper says the program is about giving people in the heartland real skills and tools to land better jobs and build stronger careers.

Heartland Forward said that within five years, AI is projected to automate 30% of tasks across most jobs, making AI literacy a key to career readiness. Stemuli’s immersive platform will help prepare by delivering personalized AI education that blends the engagement of gaming with the utility of a career coach.

Stemuli said that the personalized, immersive curriculum guides rural students and entrepreneurs through six core areas: large language models (LLM) 101, machine learning, prompting skills, AI in the workplace, AI in finance, and elective modules aligned with specific career paths.

“AI is evolving faster than ever, reshaping the future of work in real time,” Stemuli founder and CEO Taylor Shead added. “Our AI-native game engine equips learners with the tools they need to stay ahead of this era of transformation.”

Shead says they’re rethinking workforce readiness by making education more accessible and engaging. And it’s better matched to how Gen Alpha and Gen Z actually learn.

Stemuli said that learners complete interactive “quests” that build essential AI literacy skills and connect directly to employer needs across key heartland industries.

Stemuli aims to keep students ready for the jobs of tomorrow by updating its curriculum with real-world data and input from employers. The company said its platform already has driven measurable outcomes in diverse education systems across the country:

For example, at P-TECH, the world’s largest early college high school in Dallas County—where two-thirds of young adults earn below a livable wage—students using Stemuli graduated with average earnings between $60,000 and $70,000, significantly outpacing their peers’ $46,000 average.

In partnership with Stride, the nation’s largest online education provider, Stemuli said it transformed a library of 672 K-12 courses into immersive gaming experiences for 300,000 students, leading to gains in math proficiency, time-on-task and college and career readiness.

Stemuli also has supported statewide initiatives such as Georgia’s digital agriculture career pathways, helping the Georgia Department of Education assess and grow measurable workforce skills among K-12 learners.

Heartland Forward said the initiative builds on its commitment to strengthening the talent pipeline across the region via investments in education, workforce development, and digital access.

Founded in 2019 with support from members of the Walton family and headquartered in Bentonville, Heartland Forward focuses on improving economic performance in the American Heartland—a 20-state region stretching from the Appalachians to the Rockies.

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