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, Maria reports.

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.

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.

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 left 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.

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 that the money dedicated to workforce training is actually going to the 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."

There's broad agreement among U.S. companies that domestic workforce development alone won't be enough to meet the labor demand that technology is bringing.

• Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs and public policy, discussed in an interview with Maria why immigration reform is key for U.S. competitiveness.

• Bhatia is calling on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to allow employment-based visa applications to be filed regardless of applicants' country-based priority date in a forthcoming bulletin.
• The move, which would allow more visas to be issued, has bipartisan support in Congress.

Below is an excerpt from the conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Can you describe how the country's immigration system is not working?

There is often a substantial delay or inability to bring people in on temporary visas. Once they get here, those H-1B visa holders are then often caught in an extended process to qualify for permanent residence or a green card.

• And in the interim period, which can be years and years, they are subject to restrictions, often effectively precluding them from traveling home.
• Their spouses often can't work and their kids are often in a situation where even though they may have lived most of their lives in the United States, they will have to return.

How does the U.S. compare with other countries on immigration?

We're competing with companies, sectors, and industries in other countries with immigration systems that are much more user-friendly and designed to attract these highly skilled workers. Frankly, the U.S. system has the opposite effect — it is actively discouraging highly skilled workers from coming to the United States.

• It's terribly stressful for employees, some of whom ultimately decide that it's not worth the stress anymore and will leave to go to another country. You hear about employees relocating to Canada, Europe, (and) countries in Asia.

What does Google want Congress and the administration to do about it?

What we are asking for here, from either the administration or Congress or both working together, are solutions to address the green card backlog problem because it is trapping thousands of people in this state where they are unable to live normal lives and it is becoming a significant challenge for our workforce and our competitiveness.

Are you thinking about this in terms of the presidential election next year and how your efforts might land with a Republican White House?

The issue of how do we attract and retain the world's best talent to enable America to be economically competitive in these most critical industries is not a partisan issue.

• It does, however, get caught up in the broader issue of immigration. I wouldn't necessarily say we're advancing this issue this year versus a different year because of election-related concerns. I'd say we're pushing for it because it remains a significant impediment.

Here's what else landed on our radar this week.

🇪🇺 DMA: The European Commission officially announced which companies are designated as "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act, its landmark competition legislation: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance.

• Smaller competitors cheered, while American tech trade groups called it discrimination against successful U.S. companies.

📡 Gomez: The Senate today confirmed Anna Gomez to sit on the FCC, marking the first time the agency will have a Democratic majority since President Biden took office.

🇨🇳 China chip money: China is planning to "launch a new state-backed investment fund that aims to raise about $40 billion for its semiconductor sector," Reuters reported, in an effort to counter U.S.-led export control measures and boost its domestic industry.

💰 Competition cash: Dems on the House China Select Committee sent their Approps colleagues a letter highlighting the expected impacts of budget cuts and a government shutdown on science, R&D, and competition with Beijing.

• "Congress must fund the NSF, NIST, and the Department of Energy's Office of Science at the levels authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act," the lawmakers wrote.