Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026

(a) Establishment. The Director of the National Science Foundation (in this section referred to as the Director), acting through the Assistant Director for STEM Education, the Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships of the Foundation, and the Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, and in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish a program, which shall be complement and not duplicate existing programs or activities of the National Science Foundation, including the State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs, to award grants to eligible entities to establish Regional Centers for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence in Education and Work (in this section referred to as Centers).

(b) Grant criteria. In awarding grants under this section, the Director shall—

(1) seek to facilitate the establishment of Centers in a diversity of geographic areas and economic sectors; and

(2) prioritize an eligible entity that intends to collaborate, in carrying out the required activities under subsection (c), with—

(A) an institution specified in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a));

(B) a junior or community college;

(C) an institution of higher education that is located in a rural area;

(D) a labor organization as defined in section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152), or an organization that represents employees of a State or local government or a political subdivision thereof;

(E) a small business concern (as described in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)); or

(F) an industry or sector partnership as described in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).

(c) Required activities. A Center established pursuant to a grant under this section shall carry out the following:

(1) Coordinate and synthesize research, including research in coordination with efforts supported by the multidisciplinary Centers for Transformative Education Research of the National Science Foundation, conducted pursuant to this Act and the amendments made by this Act, related to the effects of artificial intelligence on—

(A) elementary, secondary, and higher education, including—

(i) teaching practices;

(ii) student outcomes; and

(iii) teacher hiring and retention; and

(B) the workforce, including—

(i) job tasks;

(ii) skill requirements;

(iii) job earnings; and

(iv) working conditions.

(2) Collaborate with institutions of higher education and nonprofit research organizations to identify and address gaps in knowledge relating to effects of artificial intelligence on—

(A) elementary, secondary, and higher education; and

(B) the workforce.

(3) Assist local educational agencies, State educational agencies, and recipients of grants and cooperative agreements under section 106(b) in disseminating model curricula related to artificial intelligence for use in—

(A) elementary, secondary, and higher education; and

(B) artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways.

(4) Coordinate and synthesize research conducted under section 403 on the environmental and economic impacts of infrastructure related to artificial intelligence on covered communities (as defined in section 401), to the extent such research informs the effects of artificial intelligence described in paragraph (1).

(d) Prohibited activities. A Center established pursuant to a grant under this section, in carrying out activities as a Center under this section, may not carry out any of the following:

(1) Develop, commercialize, or promote—

(A) any artificial intelligence product or service for purposes other than the internal research activities of such Center; or

(B) any algorithm or training dataset intended for use in the development of an artificial intelligence product or service for purposes other than the internal research activities of such Center or use in labor market information systems of the Department of Labor.

(2) Conduct research that does not primarily relate to the effects of artificial intelligence on human decision making in contexts related to—

(A) education; or

(B) the workforce.

(e) Reports

(1) Center reports. Not later than 1 year after the date of the establishment of such Center pursuant to a grant under this section and annually thereafter, each Center shall submit to the Director a report, which the Director shall make publicly available, summarizing the following:

(A) Activities conducted by such Center.

(B) Research findings made by such Center.

(2) Reports to Congress. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and make publicly available, a report containing the following:

(A) A summary of the activities of each Center.

(B) Recommendations for legislative or administrative action to promote research on the effects of artificial intelligence on education and the workforce.

(f) Eligible entity. In this section, the term eligible entity means—

(1) an institution of higher education; or

(2) a consortium that is—

(A) led by an institution of higher education; and

(B) composed of 1 or more—

(i) nonprofit research organizations;

(ii) local educational agencies;

(iii) State educational agencies;

(iv) local boards;

(v) State boards; and

(vi) employers.

(g) Compliance. Each Center established pursuant to a grant under this section shall be subject to the requirements under section 6.