[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6791 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6791

   To amend the Digital Equity Act of 2021 to facilitate artificial 
      intelligence literacy opportunities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 14, 2023

   Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself and Mr. Bucshon) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Digital Equity Act of 2021 to facilitate artificial 
      intelligence literacy opportunities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act 
of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative 
        technology that affects nearly every aspect of the United 
        States economy.
            (2) As AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous, AI literacy will 
        become as important as digital literacy is today.
            (3) Technological leadership in AI is an economic and 
        national security imperative. Maintaining this leadership 
        requires a sufficient workforce to research and develop AI 
        capabilities. Such a workforce must contain both technical 
        talent, such as computer engineers and data scientists, and 
        nontechnical talent, such as product managers and sales 
        engineers, who understand AI.
            (4) Effective AI literacy initiatives encompass not only 
        technical training but also include comprehensive education 
        about the potential benefits and risks associated with AI 
        technologies.
            (5) Informed developers and consumers of AI technologies 
        can help mitigate potential risks and biases often found in 
        systems that utilize AI.
            (6) Basic AI literacy is critical to ensuring that 
        Americans have the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the 
        economy and digital world. With AI being increasingly adopted 
        by consumer-facing companies and widely used tools on the 
        internet, Americans of all ages and occupations should have the 
        skills and tools needed to understand AI and its limitations at 
        a basic level as well as skills to identify when AI is being 
        employed.
            (7) Successful AI literacy initiatives will prepare 
        Americans of all ages and technical backgrounds to safely 
        navigate AI tools and AI-enabled technologies.
            (8) Communities most often negatively impacted by AI-
        enabled technologies often have the least access to AI 
        education.
            (9) AI literacy initiatives must engage stakeholders and 
        communities in all stages, and specific outreach efforts should 
        be made for communities disproportionately impacted by the 
        digital divide, including minority and rural communities.
            (10) According to a survey of adults commissioned by Jobs 
        for the Future, a non-profit organization with a focus on 
        workforce development and education, 58 percent believe that 
        learning opportunities around AI should be offered to workers, 
        53 percent believe that such opportunities should be available 
        to learners, and 54 percent believe that they would feel more 
        prepared for the future impact of AI if they were given 
        learning tools for it.
            (11) As of 2018, the United States AI workforce stood at 
        about 14,000,000 workers, or about 9 percent of total 
        employment. From 2019 to 2029, demand for AI occupations is 
        projected to grow twice as fast as for all occupations in the 
        United States.
            (12) In 2021, Black students made up only 7.5 percent of 
        AI-related bachelor's degrees despite making up 14 percent of 
        the population. While women account for 60 percent of college 
        graduates, they constitute only 40 percent of Science, 
        Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics graduates and 25 
        percent of graduates in AI fields. Efforts in AI literacy can 
        help to bridge stark differences in attainment across 
        demographic groups.
            (13) The need for a strong workforce of AI workers, as well 
        as an AI-literate population, requires investment in AI 
        literacy education.

SEC. 3. DIGITAL LITERACY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND COMPETITIVE 
              GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Digital Literacy With Respect to Artificial Intelligence.--
Section 60302 of the Digital Equity Act of 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1721) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (12) by inserting ``, including the skills 
        associated with artificial intelligence literacy'' before the 
        period; and
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (23), as 
        amended by paragraph (1) of this subsection, as paragraphs (6) 
        through (24), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (4) 
        the following:
            ``(5) Artificial intelligence literacy.--The term 
        `artificial intelligence literacy' means the skills associated 
        with the ability to comprehend the basic principles, concepts, 
        and applications of artificial intelligence, as well as the 
        implications, limitations, and ethical considerations 
        associated with the use of artificial intelligence.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Sections 60304 and 60305 of such Act 
(47 U.S.C. 1723, 1724) are amended by striking ``60302(8)'' and 
inserting ``60302(9)''.
    (c) Artificial Intelligence Literacy in the Digital Equity 
Competitive Grant Program.--Section 60305(d)(2)(A) of such Act (47 
U.S.C. 1724(d)(2)(A)) is amended by redesignating clause (vi) as clause 
(x) and inserting after clause (v) the following:
                            ``(vi) In the case of a grant made to 
                        increase artificial intelligence literacy in 
                        public elementary and secondary schools--
                                    ``(I) to provide teachers training 
                                and certification to support artificial 
                                intelligence literacy efforts in 
                                schools;
                                    ``(II) to facilitate the attendance 
                                of teachers at professional development 
                                courses, workshops, and conferences 
                                related to artificial intelligence 
                                education, including professional 
                                development related to artificial 
                                intelligence course design and fee-
                                based professional development;
                                    ``(III) with respect to schools 
                                without resources for computer science 
                                education, to use best practices to 
                                develop and design computer science 
                                course materials needed for artificial 
                                intelligence education;
                                    ``(IV) to support partnerships with 
                                the private sector to facilitate 
                                artificial intelligence education;
                                    ``(V) to equip schools with labs to 
                                provide students hands-on artificial 
                                intelligence learning experiences; or
                                    ``(VI) to develop virtual learning 
                                platforms that facilitate remote and 
                                individualized artificial intelligence 
                                education opportunities.
                            ``(vii) In the case of a grant made to 
                        increase artificial intelligence literacy in 
                        community colleges--
                                    ``(I) to develop and implement an 
                                interdisciplinary literacy program with 
                                respect to artificial intelligence for 
                                non-traditional learners, including 
                                through partnerships with non-profit 
                                educational organizations;
                                    ``(II) to develop labs to provide 
                                students hands-on artificial 
                                intelligence learning experiences; or
                                    ``(III) to develop virtual learning 
                                platforms that facilitate remote and 
                                individualized artificial intelligence 
                                education opportunities.
                            ``(viii) In the case of a grant made to 
                        increase artificial intelligence literacy in 
                        institutions of higher education--
                                    ``(I) to develop labs to provide 
                                students hands-on artificial 
                                intelligence learning experiences;
                                    ``(II) to develop virtual learning 
                                platforms that facilitate remote and 
                                individualized artificial intelligence 
                                education opportunities; or
                                    ``(III) to develop programming and 
                                pedagogical tools with respect to 
                                artificial intelligence education and 
                                instruction for the benefit of 
                                elementary school and secondary school 
                                teachers and community educators.
                            ``(ix) In the case of a grant made to a 
                        community anchor institution, other than a 
                        school, community college, or institution of 
                        higher education, to increase artificial 
                        intelligence literacy in covered populations--
                                    ``(I) to provide training and 
                                certification with respect to 
                                artificial intelligence education and 
                                instruction to employees of the 
                                community anchor institution; or
                                    ``(II) to develop and implement 
                                artificial intelligence learning 
                                experiences and educational programming 
                                to the community served by the 
                                community anchor institution.''.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Section 60305 of such Act (47 U.S.C. 1724) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) Annual Report to Congress.--For each year of the 4-year 
period described in subsection (d)(2)(D), the Assistant Secretary shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a written report--
            ``(1) summarizing and analyzing the reports submitted to 
        the Assistant Secretary pursuant to subsection (h) for that 
        year; and
            ``(2) identifying any specific use described by a report 
        submitted pursuant to subsection (h) that the Assistant 
        Secretary recommends for expansion or modification to benefit 
        greater populations.''.
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