07.31.24

Cantwell Champions Package of AI Innovation and Workforce Bills Through Committee Passage

Sen. Cantwell’s NSF AI Education Act would fund nationwide challenge to discover how to train and upskill 1 million+ U.S. workers in AI by 2028

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, passed three major AI innovation and workforce development bills through the Senate Commerce Committee.

“Seattle has one of the nation’s highest growth rates for AI jobs and demand for AI expertise is already high and will continue to grow,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Our National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Education Act will open doors to AI for students at all levels, and upskill our workforce to drive American tech innovation, entrepreneurship, and progress in solving the toughest global challenges. Our Small Business AI Training Act will also help upskill small businesses so they can use AI to improve access to capital, draft business plans, and take advantage of new export and government contracting opportunities.”

National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Education Act of 2024: Introduced by Sen. Cantwell in May 2024, the bipartisan legislation aims to expand scholarship and professional development opportunities to study artificial intelligence and quantum with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This bill would establish NSF Grand Challenges to help identify strategies to educate 1 million or more workers in AI in the United States by 2028. Sen. Cantwell first announced this proposal when hosting an AI summit with local Washington state companies in Seattle last summer.

In coordination with the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program established by Sen. Cantwell’s CHIPS and Science Act, this bill would also establish at least five community college and vocational school “Centers of AI Excellence” to focus on building best practices for teaching and researching AI applications in education, training, manufacturing, agriculture, and more. The bill would also boost AI research in agricultural advancements and instructs the NSF to create educational guidance for using AI in K-12 classrooms. More information on the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Education Act is available HERE.

What this means for Washington state:

  • Pacific Northwest community colleges and vocational schools would be eligible for funding to establish a Center of AI Excellence in our region.
  • Washington state growers and rural communities would have new opportunities to study AI to improve their operations.

Small Business AI Training Act: Introduced by Sen. Cantwell in June 2024, the bipartisan legislation would authorize the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to work with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create and distribute artificial intelligence (AI) training resources and tools to help small businesses leverage AI in their operations. It also directs specific AI training for small businesses in rural and tribal communities, and small businesses involved in advanced manufacturing. More information on the Small Business AI Training Act is available HERE.

What this means for Washington state:

  • The State of Washington is home to 644,868 small businesses, making up 99.5 percent of all WA businesses and employing 1.4 million workers – these businesses would be able to access AI training and tools.
  • The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) resource partners like the Women’s Business Center (WBC) in Lacey; the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in Seattle, and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) headquartered in Spokane Valley could become eligible to help WA small business access new AI training resources once they are developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Future of AI Innovation Act of 2024: Introduced by Sen. Cantwell, in April 2024, the bipartisan legislation promotes strong partnerships between government, business, civil society and academia to advance AI research. It authorizes the U.S. AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to promote the development of voluntary standards and creates testbeds with national labs to accelerate groundbreaking AI innovation for the benefit of future economic growth and national security. The bill would also direct federal science agencies to make curated datasets available for public use to accelerate new advancements in AI applications and creates international alliances on AI standards, research, and development through a coalition of U.S. allies. More information on the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act is available HERE.

“Our bill ensures the United States will lead on AI for decades to come. It promotes public-private collaboration to drive innovation and competitiveness,” said Sen. Cantwell when the bill was introduced. “The NIST AI Safety Institute, testbeds at our national labs, and the grand challenge prizes will bring together private sector and government experts to develop standards, create new assessment tools, and overcome existing barriers. It will lay a strong foundation for America’s evolving AI tech economy for years to come.”

What this means for Washington state:

  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, among other educational and research institutions, will be a critical partner in testing and evaluating AI systems.
  • Organizations involved in materials science, such as WSU’s Institute of Materials Research, and the UW’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing program, can benefit from support for AI-assisted materials development.
  • Washington state researchers can stand to benefit from access to curated datasets, especially when high-quality data is scarce.
  • Washington AI companies such as Microsoft and Amazon are leading the way in AI development and deployment. The U.S. AI Safety Institute will ensure that companies of all sizes have a say in the AI standards development process, building trust in the technology and ensuring the wide-scale deployment of AI technologies.

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