Free five-day Agentic AI Academy teaches community college learners to build AI agents for the workplace, featuring a tool from worker advocacy group Lift Our Voices
DALLAS, Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Mark Cuban Foundation is launching its first program built for adult learners, a free five-day accelerator called the Agentic AI Academy, in partnership with worker advocacy nonprofit Lift Our Voices. The pilot runs Aug. 17-21 at Dallas College.
From the start, the Foundation’s AI education work has centered on the AI Bootcamp, a program for high school students in grades nine through 12. The Agentic AI Academy extends that mission to community college learners, with no technical background required. The Foundation designed the pilot with particular attention to learners in the trades and other communities that often have less access to AI training.
The program is hands-on, with each half-day session built around a specific result students can apply directly to their work. By the program’s close, every participant will have built a set of working AI agents designed around their own goals.
Throughout the week, participants learn to build and use AI agents for tasks tied directly to the workplace, including an agent that functions as a personal career coach, helping map out where a person stands now and what it takes to reach their goals.
One highlight of the curriculum is a tool developed by Lift Our Voices, used alongside the program’s other exercises. The LOV Where You Work AI tool is free, anonymous and multilingual, scanning employment contracts and onboarding paperwork for hidden non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and forced arbitration clauses that can silence employees if they experience bad behavior in the workplace. Students test the tool on a sample contract, then model how each party might respond to what it uncovers.
The partnership reflects a shared goal of preparing young workers to understand the fine print before they sign it, according to Lift Our Voices.
“Young people entering the workforce deserve to know what’s in their employment contracts before they sign away their rights. But clauses around NDAs and forced arbitration are often overly complex and buried deep in contracts,” said Gretchen Carlson, Co-Founder of Lift Our Voices. “Our free LOV Where You Work AI Tool helps close that gap by identifying how these silencing mechanisms show up in contracts and translating the legal terminology into plain language. We’re thrilled to partner with the Mark Cuban Foundation to help more workers enter their first jobs informed and empowered to protect their voices.”
“Gen Z has made clear that they’re not willing to put up with toxic workplaces and expect transparency and a healthy workplace culture. The LOV Where You Work AI Tool gives them another way to evaluate a company and hold employers accountable,” said Julie Roginsky, Co-Founder of Lift Our Voices. “Just as job applicants ask about salary and healthcare benefits, our tool can help them ask informed questions about a company’s use of silencing mechanisms. We’re excited for this first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Mark Cuban Foundation and the next generation of workers.”
For the Mark Cuban Foundation, the pilot marks a first step toward broader adult programming.
“Community colleges are in every region across the country, often in places that are not served by other educational institutions,” said Charlotte Dungan, Chief Learning Officer at the Mark Cuban Foundation. “By bringing Agentic AI to small business owners, community members and students who are entering or re-entering the workforce, we can expand who is empowered to use Agentic AI.”
About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Initiative
The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The Foundation’s AI Bootcamp seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. The Foundation’s Agentic AI Academy extends that work to community college students, teaching them to build and use AI agents for real workplace tasks. Learn more about the Foundation at markcubanai.org.
About Lift Our Voices
Lift Our Voices (LOV) was launched in December 2019 to create positive, systemic change in American workplaces through the eradication of nondisclosure agreements for toxic work issues and forced arbitration clauses. Created and launched by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, LOV’s mission is to protect American workers by giving those in toxic work environments the freedom to speak freely about their workplace experiences and free them from the laws and business practices that prevent employees from publicly discussing toxic workplace conditions. For more information on Lift Our Voices, visit https://www.liftourvoices.org/ and visit their Facebook and Twitter pages.
CONTACT: Media Contact: pr@markcubanai.org
