Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
A key senator is preparing to field input on a bill that would create a new training program for the country's future artificial intelligence workforce, modeled on a transformative post-World War II education and training effort
What's happening: Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell is pursuing an AI education bill to ready workers with the training and skills needed to adapt to what she's calling an "information age and AI revolution."
Why it matters: Many in Congress recognize the impact AI will have on the U.S. workforce, and Cantwell is comparing it to the post-WWII landscape, which policymakers at the time believed would plunge into a depression if the GI Bill wasn't passed.
- The World Economic Forum predicts automation will displace 85 million jobs by 2025.
- 97 million new jobs will be created, but people will need support from businesses and governments, the WEF added.
At an event last month, Cantwell said workers should be empowered with AI tools now to be more productive, though she didn't go into detail. She added that collaboration between the Commerce and Labor departments will be key to creating a skilled workforce.
- Cantwell's staff is planning to speak with agencies and other stakeholders to inform the bill, spokesperson Tricia Enright said.
- Next week, the National Science Foundation is expected to give staff a briefing on AI education and workforce needs.
- About $700 million of NSF's $10 billion annual budget goes toward AI, including educational efforts from kindergarten through PhD programs and apprenticeships — they call it a "K to gray" approach.
Catch up fast: The plan is being modeled after the GI Bill of Rights, which originally offered education and training programs to many of the men and women who were leaving the military after serving in World War II.
- Iterations of the bill continue to help veterans adjust to civilian life today.
By the numbers: Cantwell set a goal through her bill of training at least one million people, in particular with apprenticeship programs where they can earn money and get an education at the same time.
- Between 100 and 150,000 students receive bachelor's degrees in computer science and related fields each year, more than half of whom are interested in AI, NSF's Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering Margaret Martonosi told Axios.
- About 30 to 35,000 students receive two-year degrees in computer science and related fields each year, and there's a broader set of people involved in different kinds of data sciences that have an AI aspect to them and can be considered part of the AI workforce.
- "So we see that million as an aspirational number, but a reachable aspiration for sure ... with the right kinds of investments and prioritization," said Martonosi.
The intrigue: The U.S.'s K-12 educational system is highly localized, which presents challenges for federal efforts to educate the country's workforce.
- NSF has tackled this through the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, which creates a forum where researchers and educators within each state can share best practices of how they've approached scalable curriculum investments. Thirty states are involved.
- "I call it a North Star. It isn't changing things state by state, but it's creating a North Star that lots of different state curricula are now aiming at," said Martonosi.
Our thought bubble: NSF is positioned to play a crucial role in informing Cantwell's efforts, but the agency lacks funding. Martonosi noted her directorate declines about three-quarters of the research proposals it gets.
What they're saying: IBM is adjusting to the changes in labor demands by shifting its focus from attracting people with certain degrees to attracting those with the right skillset.
- IBM is advocating for Congress to expand the Pell Grant program. "That's a great example of where Congress can really act and infuse this new sort of alignment as well as resources toward short term," said Yelena Vaynberg, IBM's government and regulatory affairs executive.
In addition to private sector efforts, unions also have a history of participating in apprenticeship programs that could inform Cantwell's efforts.
- "In order to secure an equitable transition to this STEM economy and beat back the kind of corporate greed that has degraded job quality for decades, unions must be at the forefront of workforce training," said AFL-CIO Technology Institute director Amanda Ballantyne.
Yes, but: Vaynberg said the government must ensure the money dedicated to workforce training is actually going to the in-demand skill set employers are seeking.
- "It has been shown that the funding that is going towards training programs doesn't always result in in-demand skills. ... And there's so much data lagging in the system that we actually don't know where some of the funding is going."
Of note: Earlier this year, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg he expected AI could replace about 7,000 jobs.
- But, according to IBM external relations lead Bronwyn Flores, the company hasn't paused hiring.
