Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026

In this Act:

(1) Algorithmic bias. The term algorithmic bias means unintended disparities in a covered outcome, on the basis of a protected characteristic, that result from the design or use of artificial intelligence, including disparities resulting from incomplete, unrepresentative, or discriminatory data used to design, train, or operate such artificial intelligence.

(2) Apprenticeship. The term apprenticeship means an apprenticeship registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the National Apprenticeship Act; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).

(3) Area career and technical education school; work-based learning. The terms area career and technical education school and work-based learning have the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).

(4) Artificial intelligence. The term artificial intelligence has the meaning given such term in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401).

(5) Artificial intelligence accessibility. The term artificial intelligence accessibility means the design, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence systems in a manner that enables individuals with disabilities to use such systems and to participate in artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways and artificial intelligence-augmented occupations, consistent with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).

(6) Artificial intelligence-augmented occupation. The term artificial intelligence-augmented occupation means an occupation, trade, or profession in which artificial intelligence is used to complement, assist, or enhance—

(A) tasks conducted by humans; or

(B) decisions made by humans.

(7) Artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathway. The term artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathway means a career pathway (as such term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)) that—

(A) prepares an individual for employment in an artificial intelligence-augmented occupation; and

(B) includes instruction and training in the responsible use of artificial intelligence, including instruction and training in—

(i) critical thinking;

(ii) data interpretation;

(iii) artificial intelligence ethics; and

(iv) communication.

(8) Artificial intelligence ethics. The term artificial intelligence ethics means principles governing the design, development, deployment, integration, and responsible use of artificial intelligence, including principles of—

(A) fairness;

(B) transparency;

(C) civil and human rights;

(D) privacy; and

(E) social and environmental beneficence.

(9) Artificial intelligence governance. The term artificial intelligence governance means practices used to oversee the design, development, deployment, integration, and use of artificial intelligence, including practices relating to—

(A) risk assessment and management;

(B) accountability;

(C) continuous monitoring of model performance;

(D) validation of model performance against established benchmarks;

(E) algorithm performance explainability;

(F) system auditing and incident response protocols;

(G) safety;

(H) testing for and mitigation of algorithmic bias;

(I) compliance with law;

(J) disclosure; and

(K) human review and oversight.

(10) Artificial intelligence developer. The term artificial intelligence developer means a person or entity that designs, codes, trains, or substantially modifies an artificial intelligence model or system, including by determining the training data, architecture, or parameters used in such model or system, and includes responsibility for—

(A) disclosing to artificial intelligence integrators and artificial intelligence deployers the known or reasonably foreseen limitations, risks, and intended uses of such model or system; and

(B) enabling meaningful human oversight of such model or system by artificial intelligence integrators and artificial intelligence deployers, including by providing documentation sufficient to understand the basis for outputs generated by such model or system.

(11) Artificial intelligence integrator. The term artificial intelligence integrator means a person or entity that, for profit, incorporates an artificial intelligence model or system developed by an artificial intelligence developer into a software application or product for a specific use case, including by configuring, refining, or adding functionality to such model or system for such use case, and includes responsibility for—

(A) disclosing to artificial intelligence deployers the intended use case, configuration, and known or reasonably foreseeable limitations and risks of such applications or product; and

(B) maintaining human oversight mechanisms, including the ability to review, override, or disable functionality of such application or product, for use by artificial intelligence deployers.

(12) Artificial intelligence deployer. The term artificial intelligence deployer means a person or entity that, for profit, makes an artificial intelligence model, system, application, or product available to an end user, including by offering, selling, licensing, or providing access to such model, system, application, or product for use in contexts related to education or workforce, and includes responsibility for—

(A) disclosing to end users that such end users are interacting with, or subject to a decision informed by, artificial intelligence models or systems; and

(B) ensuring that a human retains oversight and decision-making authority over outputs generated by such model, system, application, or product when used in contexts related to education or workforce.

(13) Artificial intelligence-impacted industry. The term artificial intelligence-impacted industry means an industry, sector, or occupational group for which robust Federal analysis or data, including such analysis or data conducted or collected by the Department of Labor, the Department of Commerce, or the National Science Foundation, indicates that technologies related to artificial intelligence are substantially changing job tasks, skill requirements, or employment patterns, including through augmentation, displacement, or partial or total automation of work previously or traditionally performed by humans.

(14) Artificial intelligence literacy. The term artificial intelligence literacy means the ability to understand, use, and critically evaluate artificial intelligence, including—

(A) understanding the capabilities, risks, and limitations of artificial intelligence;

(B) the ability to critically evaluate outputs generated by artificial intelligence, including by recognizing inaccuracies, bias, and other limitations of such outputs;

(C) the application of critical thinking, ethical and logical reasoning, and skills derived from the humanities and social sciences to recognize the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence; and

(D) an understanding of the effects of overreliance on artificial intelligence on human development, including with respect to critical thinking, communication, literacy, and socialization.

(15) Artificial intelligence reskilling. The term artificial intelligence reskilling means a program of education or training designed to equip an individual currently employed or recently displaced from employment with artificial intelligence literacy (as defined in this section) and the skills, knowledge, and credentials necessary to transition into an artificial intelligence-augmented occupation or retain employment in an artificial intelligence-impacted industry.

(16) Cooperative education. The term cooperative education has the meaning given such term in section 831 of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161n(b)).

(17) Covered outcome. The term covered outcome means an effect of the design or use of artificial intelligence that is—

(A) economic, including with respect to employment, wages, or access to credit or financial services;

(B) educational, including with respect to admissions, assessment, or access to educational resources or opportunities;

(C) developmental, including with respect to a minor’s cognitive, social, or emotional development; or

(D) related to access to opportunity, including with respect to housing, public accommodations, or social services.

(18) Designated risk management framework. The term designated risk management framework means—

(A) the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and published on January 26, 2023; and

(B) any successor or substantially equivalent framework, as determined by the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

(19) Elementary school. The term elementary school has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(20) Humanities. The term humanities has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 952).

(21) Institution of higher education. The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001) and is accredited by a recognized accreditation organization, including an independent accrediting body, State agency, or the Department of Education.

(22) Internship. The term internship means a planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time, consistent with section 680.180 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

(23) Junior or community college. The term junior or community college has the meaning given such term in section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058).

(24) Local board; recognized postsecondary credential; State board. The terms local board, recognized postsecondary credential, and State board have the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).

(25) Local educational agency; State educational agency. The terms local educational agency and State educational agency have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(26) Nonprofit research organization. The term nonprofit research organization means an organization—

(A) that conducts research and development activities through funding by an organization that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is identified by the Annual Business Survey of the United States Census Bureau; or

(B) that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and

(C) the primary purpose of which is to conduct research relating to—

(i) science; or

(ii) education.

(27) Pre-apprenticeship. The term pre-apprenticeship has the meaning given such term in section 681.480 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

(28) Protected characteristic. The term protected characteristic means race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, or religion, as such characteristics are protected under Federal nondiscrimination law applicable to the recipient of Federal financial assistance or other entity engaged in the design or use of artificial intelligence concerned.

(29) Regional labor market demand. The term regional labor market demand means workforce needs within a labor market area (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)), as identified by—

(A) a local board;

(B) a State board; or

(C) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics.

(30) Rural area. The term rural area means any area that is not located within the boundaries of an urbanized area, as defined by the Bureau of the Census, with a population of 50,000 or more inhabitants.

(31) Secondary school. The term secondary school has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(32) Social sciences. The term social sciences means disciplines that study human society, relationships, and behavior, including psychology, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology, theology, geography, history, linguistics, and related disciplines that apply scientific research and inquiry methods to study how individuals interact, form institutions, and influence their social, physical, and institutional environments.

(33) Stackable micro-credential. The term stackable micro-credential means a credential that—

(A) certifies the completion of a course of study that is shorter in duration and more flexible in structure than a traditional degree program;

(B) certifies that the recipient has been assessed against transparent and clearly defined criteria and has demonstrated attainment of specific skills or knowledge, rather than certifying solely participatory attendance;

(C) certifies the attainment of specific skills or knowledge by the recipient of such credential; and

(D) may be counted toward the attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential.

(34) Underserved community. The term underserved community—

(A) means a population or geographic area that has limited access to—

(i) educational opportunities;

(ii) economic opportunities; or

(iii) workforce opportunities; and

(B) includes—

(i) a rural area;

(ii) a low-income community; and

(iii) any population that the appropriate Federal authority, including the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, or the Director of the National Science Foundation, determines is underrepresented in—

(I) opportunities related to elementary education, secondary education, career and technical education, or postsecondary education; or

(II) opportunities related to workforce development, apprenticeships, upskilling, or retraining.