Labor-focused Senate bill seeks better data on AI’s workforce impact 

As AI adoption continues to expand across the federal government, lawmakers are considering different avenues for agencies to best evaluate the technology’s effects on the workforce. 

The AI Workforce Prepare Act, introduced Wednesday by Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Jon Husted, R-Ohio, directs the Department of Labor to recruit around 20 AI experts and stand up an AI workforce research hub, among several other measures to fuel the effort. 

“We have to understand how AI is changing the workforce so we can equip American workers with the skills necessary to stay ahead of China and lead the world,” Banks said in a Thursday announcement. 

The legislation also relies on modernizing access to AI-related labor market data — and ensuring collection is consistent. The Labor and Commerce secretaries, as well as the director of the Census Bureau, and the chief statistician of the United States, would be tasked with launching a pilot project to collect data and provide recurring analysis of highly impacted occupations. 

The bipartisan bill has garnered early support from advocacy groups, such as Americans for Responsible Innovation.

“Policymakers need to know what jobs are being eliminated, what new work is being created, and how we can train a workforce prepared for the future,” ARI President Brad Carson said in a press release. “The AI Workforce Prepare Act gets right to the heart of that issue by supporting high-quality economic data collection, analysis, and forecasting on AI’s impact.”

The bill comes as lawmakers work through a slew of AI-related proposals, many of which focus on the technology’s workforce impact. A trio of Senate Democrats introduced the Workforce of the Future Act earlier this week, which calls for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants to support workforce training and development, among other provisions. Similar bills were also peppered throughout November, including the bipartisan AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act and a pair of AI-focused Small Business Administration bills that advanced in the House.

While the technology’s impact on workers is top of mind, federal agencies continue to roll out AI tools to staff. 

The Department of Health and Human Services opened up employee access to Anthropic’s Claude for Government earlier this week, according to an internal memo viewed by FedScoop. Workers in HHS are encouraged to use the generative AI chatbot — as well as OpenAI’s ChatGPT — as part of their workflows. The Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration have expanded access to AI tools in the past year, too. 

The rapid AI adoption is, at least in part, driven by the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan that launched over the summer. The strategy outlined dozens of actions for the federal government and centered AI efforts on outcompeting foreign adversaries, like China. Husted said in a statement that he views the AI Workforce Prepare Act as an extension of that effort. 

“It’s important that we have the facts on how our workforce will be impacted and evolve,” the Ohio Republican said. “America must lead and win the global innovation race, and this bill ensures our workforce not only avoids being left behind, but is prepared to lead the way in developing and using new technology.”