Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Boost America’s AI Workforce Pipeline
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen America’s workforce pipeline in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and other critical technologies. The bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a workforce framework that defines AI and other emerging and critical technology jobs and the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform them. Building off the successful National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework developed by NIST, this bill will drive our nation’s competitiveness and advance our skills pipeline in AI and other emerging technologies by ensuring that individuals have the roadmap they need to find good-paying jobs and that schools, universities, training programs, and employers can educate, train, and employ the best and brightest in the workforce of the future.
“As artificial intelligence continues to play a bigger role in our society, it’s critical the future of this groundbreaking technology is formed in the United States. The way to ensure that happens is by building a workforce engaged in these new technologies,” said Senator Peters. “My bipartisan bill will strengthen our nation’s workforce pipeline for generations to come, helping to drive transformative developments in AI and other emerging technology sectors.”
The AI and Critical Technology Workforce Framework Act would direct NIST to develop an AI workforce framework and identify and report to Congress on other critical or emerging technology areas that could benefit from workforce frameworks, with a focus on ensuring that the frameworks are useful for individuals from nontraditional backgrounds and education. As technologies continue to evolve, this legislation will help ensure that similar frameworks for emerging technology like advanced biology and quantum computing are developed, while ensuring America is positioned to develop and retain skilled individuals across these industries. The bipartisan bill would also require the NICE cybersecurity framework to be updated with input from industry, academia, and government agencies to reflect changes in the cybersecurity sector. The bill would also encourage NIST to offer career resources and guidance to students and adults about careers in cybersecurity, ensuring a sustainable and capable future cyber workforce.
Senator Peters has been at the forefront of advancing bipartisan solutions to encourage American development of AI. Peters held hearings on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and on how the government can promote the responsible and effective adoption of AI. Peters introduced bipartisan legislation to designate a Chief AI Officer at every federal agency to coordinate responsible adoption and deployment of AI tools within agencies and across the federal government. Peters introduced bipartisan legislation to create an AI training program for federal supervisors and management officials. Peters’ bipartisan Transparent Automated Governance Act would require federal agencies to notify individuals when they are interacting with or subject to decisions made using automated systems. His bipartisan bill to create a training program to help federal employees responsible for purchasing and managing AI technologies better understand the capabilities and risks they pose was signed into law last Congress.
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