[Senate Report 117-40]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                     Calendar No. 142
117th Congress        }			       {               Report
                                 SENATE
                                                                 
 1st Session          }                        {               117-40
_______________________________________________________________________

                                                                                           


 
   ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING FOR THE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE ACT

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND

                          GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                              to accompany

                                S. 2551

                TO REQUIRE THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF
            MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET TO ESTABLISH OR OTHERWISE
          PROVIDE AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING PROGRAM
         FOR THE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

		
		
		[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                October 5, 2021.--Ordered to be printed
                
                	      __________
                
                
                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

29-010			  WASHINGTON : 2021	



        COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                   GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
ALEX PADILLA, California             MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                   David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
                    Zachary I. Schram, Chief Counsel
                  Michelle M. Benecke, Senior Counsel
                Pamela Thiessen, Minority Staff Director
  Andrew C. Dockham, Minority Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director
          Sam J. Mulopulos, Minority Professional Staff Member
                     Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk

                                                       Calendar No. 142
117th Congress        }			       {               Report
                                 SENATE
                                                                 
 1st Session          }                        {               117-40

======================================================================




   ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING FOR THE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE ACT

                                _______
                                

                October 5, 2021.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Peters, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                    Affairs, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 2551]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 2551) to require 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to 
establish or otherwise provide an artificial intelligence 
training program for the acquisition workforce, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
 II. Background and Need for the Legislation..........................2
III. Legislative History..............................................3
 IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as Reported.............3
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
 VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................4
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............5

                         I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    S. 2551, the Artificial Intelligence Training for the 
Workforce Act, or the ``AI Training Act,'' requires the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish or otherwise 
provide a training program on artificial intelligence (AI) for 
the federal acquisition workforce, in order to ensure that the 
workforce has knowledge of the capabilities and risks 
associated with AI. The bill defines artificial intelligence 
and the covered workforce members targeted for the training, 
including program and procurement personnel, and others as 
designated by the head of the executive agency to participate. 
The Director of OMB, in coordination with the Administrator of 
General Services and others determined relevant by the 
Director, must develop and provide the training program to the 
covered workforce not later than one year after the date of 
enactment.
    Additionally, S. 2551 outlines topics to be covered in the 
AI training program, including introductory concepts; the 
science underlying AI and how it works; benefits of AI for the 
federal government; the risks posed by AI and ways to mitigate 
these risks to ensure it is reliable, safe and trustworthy; and 
future trends in AI, including trends for homeland and national 
security and innovation. The bill requires the training program 
to be updated not less frequently than every two years, in 
order to incorporate new information and ensure the program 
continues to satisfy requirements. An interactive format for 
the training involving technologists, scholars, and other 
experts is encouraged, and metrics on participation and 
feedback must be maintained. The bill contains a sunset 
provision effective ten years after the date of enactment.

              II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

    As the federal government ramps up investment in AI, 
employees who acquire and manage this technology need basic 
training on its capabilities and risks. The need for workforce 
training on AI has been recognized by experts such as the 
National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence 
(NSCAI).\1\ NSCAI is particularly concerned with the 
implications of an under-trained federal acquisition workforce, 
noting: ``Government agencies that rely solely on contractors 
for digital expertise will become incapable of understanding 
the underlying technology well enough to make successful 
acquisition decisions independent of contractors.''\2\ The AI 
Training Act addresses the need to develop an acquisition 
workforce that is prepared to engage with the technical and 
ethical implications of AI as the United States seeks to 
maintain a global advantage with this technology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, First 
Quarter Recommendations (Mar. 2020) (https://www.nscai.gov/wp-content/
uploads/2021/01/Summary-of-NSCAI-Q1-Recommendations.pdf).
    \2\National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, Final 
Report (Mar. 2021) (https://www.nscai.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
Full-Report-Digital-1.pdf).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Although multiple executive orders have promoted the use of 
AI across the federal government,\3\ there has not been a 
concerted effort to train the civilian workforce that 
identifies, develops, buys, and manages AI capabilities to 
support the mission. While informal groups exist, such as the 
General Services Administration's AI Community of Practice,\4\ 
they are no substitute for a structured and ongoing program 
that ensures proper government adoption of AI. Market research 
predicts that the federal government will spend nearly $1 
billion on AI by 2023, which will greatly increase productivity 
and improve engagement with the public if the federal workforce 
learns to use it effectively.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\Exec. Order No. 13960, 85 Fed. Reg. 78939 (Dec. 3, 2020); see 
also Exec. Order No. 13859, 84 Fed. Re. 3967 (Feb. 11, 2019).
    \4\1A Digital.gov, Artificial Intelligence Community (https://
digital.gov/communities/artificial-intelligence/) (accessed Sept. 24, 
2021).
    \5\Nextgov, The Case to Increase Workforce Training for Artificial 
Intelligence (Aug. 19, 2020) (https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2020/08/
case-increase-workforce-training-artificial-intelligence/167782/).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Along with positive impacts for agencies and society, there 
are parallel causes of concern that AI can, if improperly or 
maliciously applied, result in invasions of privacy and have 
discriminatory effects.\6\ The ethical use of AI is an 
especially urgent issue.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\Brookings Institution Report, Protecting Privacy in an AI-driven 
World (Feb. 10, 2020) (https://www.brookings.edu/research/protecting-
privacy-in-an-ai-driven-world/).
    \7\Government Accountability Office, Artificial Intelligence: An 
Accountability Framework for Federal Agencies and Other Entities (GAO-
21-519SP) (Jun. 30, 2021); Government Accountability Office, Facial 
Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better 
Assess Privacy and Other Risks (GAO-21-518) (Jun. 29, 2021); see also 
Forensic Technology: Algorithms Strengthen Forensic Analysis, but 
Several Factors Can Affect Outcomes (GAO-21-435SP) (Jul. 6, 2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced S. 2551, the AI 
Training Act, on July 29, 2021, with Senator Portman (R-OH). 
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs. The Committee considered S. 
2551 at a business meeting on August 4, 2021. The Committee 
ordered the bill reported favorably without amendment by voice 
vote en bloc. Senators present for the vote were: Peters, 
Carper, Hassan, Sinema, Rosen, Padilla, Ossoff, Portman, 
Johnson, Lankford, Romney, Scott, and Hawley.

        IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE BILL, AS REPORTED

Section 1. Short title

    This section provides that the bill may be cited as the 
``AI Training Act.''

Section 2. Artificial intelligence training programs

    Subsection (a) defines ``artificial intelligence,'' ``AI 
training program,'' ``covered workforce,'' ``Director,'' and 
``executive agency.''
    Subsection (b)(1) requires the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget, in coordination with the Administrator 
of General Services and others, to develop and implement or 
otherwise provide an AI training program for the covered 
workforce.
    Subsection (b)(2) states the purpose of the AI training 
program as ensuring that the covered workforce has knowledge of 
the capabilities and risks associated with AI.
    Subsection (b)(3) prescribes information to be covered in 
the AI training program, including the science underlying AI 
and how it works; introductory concepts related to AI; ways in 
which AI can benefit the federal government; the risks posed by 
AI, including discrimination and risks to privacy; ways to 
mitigate these risks and efforts to create and identify AI that 
is reliable, safe, and trustworthy; and future trends in AI, 
including trends for homeland and national security and 
innovation.
    Subsection (b)(4) requires the Director of OMB to update 
the training program not less frequently than once every two 
years in order to incorporate new information and ensure that 
the AI training program continues to satisfy the requirements 
of (b)(3).
    Subsection (b)(5) encourages the Director of OMB to include 
interactive learning in the AI training program involving 
technologists, scholars, and other private, public and 
nonprofit sector experts.
    Subsection (b)(6) requires the Director of OMB to track 
metrics on participation and feedback related to the AI 
training program.
    Subsection (b)(7) holds that Section 2 shall cease to have 
effect 10 years after enactment.

                   V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

    Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has 
considered the regulatory impact of this bill and determined 
that the bill will have no regulatory impact within the meaning 
of the rules. The Committee agrees with the Congressional 
Budget Office's statement that the bill contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs 
on state, local, or tribal governments.

             VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 28, 2021.
Hon. Gary C. Peters,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. 
        Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2551, the Artificial 
Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Aldo 
Prosperi.
            Sincerely,
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

    	      
    	      
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    Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows computer systems to 
perform tasks that require human intelligence. S. 2551 would 
require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish 
a training program to provide federal procurement officials 
with an introductory understanding of the operational benefits 
and privacy risks of AI.
    Using information from OMB and other agencies about current 
efforts to use AI across the federal government, CBO 
anticipates that OMB would need five full-time employees to 
create and manage the training program. CBO estimates that 
staff salaries and technology costs to deliver the training 
would total $2 million annually. Accounting for the time needed 
to hire new employees and develop the training, CBO estimates 
that implementing the bill would cost $9 million over the 2021-
2026 period; such spending would be subject to the availability 
of appropriations. For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill 
will be enacted in fiscal year 2022.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aldo Prosperi. 
The estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Director of Budget 
Analysis.

       VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    This legislation would make no change in existing law, 
within the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of subparagraph 12 of 
rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, because this 
legislation would not repeal or amend any provision of current 
law.

                                  [all]