Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to strengthen America’s workforce pipeline in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and other critical technologies.
The AI and Critical Technology Workforce Framework Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., 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.
“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,” Sen. Peters said. “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 text of the bill notes that the new frameworks should be modeled after NIST’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework – aiming to ensure that individuals have the roadmap they need to find good-paying jobs in AI and other emerging technologies and that schools, universities, training programs, and employers can educate, train, and employ “the best and brightest in the workforce of the future.”
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, the legislation also aims to 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.
Finally, Sen. Peters’ bill calls on NIST to disseminate career resources and guidance to K-12 students, including postsecondary students, and adults about careers in cybersecurity, ensuring a sustainable and capable future cyber workforce.
