On July 30, 2024 Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced the Workforce for AI Trust Act (H.R. 9215). Their goal is to promote a multidisciplinary workforce to help advance the integration and training of AI systems by building on the existing infrastructure of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Standard and Technology (NIST).
This bill requires responsible training and comprehensive integration of artificial intelligence into all stages of scientific research and development. An issue of particular importance to FABBS members is a provision within the bill that initiates an interdisciplinary AI fellowship at the NSF aimed to support a diverse workforce, including social and behavioral scientists. Fellows will engage in integrating AI across all stages of scientific research and helping create trustworthy AI systems. Bill language also encourages AI training and application through workshops and award funding to undergraduate and graduate students.
Additionally, this bill amends the National Institutes Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework (RMF) to support guidance on workforce education and training related to AI risk management.
The AI for Workforce Trust Act is part of a broader effort by Congress to address the rapid rise and uptake of artificial intelligence. Back in February, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced the establishment of a bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to examine how Congress can maintain America’s status as a world leader of innovation while considering necessary guardrails. More recently, at the end of July, Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced bipartisan legislation, the PREPARED for AI Act (S. 4495), with a similar goal of balancing fostering innovation while implementing necessary constraints.
FABBS notes that the goal of the Workforce for AI Trust Act echoes a recommendation made by PIBBS Journal authors Eleanor F. Yan, PhD, Georgia State University, and Kathryn S. McCarthy, PhD, Georgia State University (a FABBS 2024 Early Career Impact Awardee). They wrote that, “The rapid development of AI demands that policymakers, researchers, developers, and educators engage in collaborative and accelerated research and development toward theory-driven technologies that are effective and equitable”(McCarthy & Yan, 2023).
FABBS will continue to track this legislation and share information as it develops regarding the new NSF fellowship and other resources.
