U.S. Senate passes bill to improve federal workforce’s understanding of AI

Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) aimed at improving the federal workforce’s understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) passed the U.S. Senate on Monday.

The bill, Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act, would create a training program for federal employees responsible for purchasing and managing AI technologies so they will be able to better understand what the capabilities and risks those technologies pose to the American people. Peters, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Portman, the ranking member of the committee, said the bill will also ensure the United States maintains a global leadership role in developing AI technologies.

“In order to use artificial intelligence properly and in a way that ensures our nation can compete with our foreign adversaries – federal workers need to understand the technical and ethical implications of these technologies for the safety, security, and freedoms of Americans,” said Peters. “This important bill will help our government better understand artificial intelligence and ensure we are using it in a manner that is consistent with American values and our democracy.”

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has previously raised concerns over the need for the federal workforce to receive training on AI. While there are clear benefits to AI technologies, there are also concerns about using them improperly, and the harms that could cause to national security.

“When the government purchases AI to improve government functions, we need to know that the AI we buy actually works and meets standards for ethics and safety,” Portman said. “That’s why I’m pleased the Senate passed the AI Training Act. This bipartisan legislation will train our procurement professionals about the ins and outs of AI so they can discern which AI systems are useful to the government and which are not.”

The legislation now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.