Artificial intelligence is top of mind for Americans across the country. Around kitchen tables and in workplaces, people are asking: How will AI affect my job and career? How can I use this technology effectively and responsibly?
AI’s impact on work is not predetermined. With coordinated, robust investments in AI literacy, workforce training, and access to research, the United States can help prepare workers for potential disruptions.
How AI is Changing Work
Recent advances in AI, and the rapid adoption of generative AI, are creating new opportunities for productivity, innovation, and economic growth. AI is not the first major technological change Americans have experienced. Electricity, personal computers, the internet, and even mobile phones each changed how people lived and worked.
However, the speed and scale of AI adoption distinguish this transition from many that came before it. AI has the potential to expand what workers and businesses can do, but there will also be disruption for some tasks and roles. The most important question is therefore not simply whether AI will “replace jobs,” but how AI will change the composition of work.
Early evidence suggests that AI’s effects are occurring first at the task level, as opposed to the wholesale elimination of occupations1 AI tools can accelerate routine task completion which allows employees to devote more time to tasks that require human judgment, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving.
For example, in healthcare, AI scribes can reduce physicians’ documentation burdens, allowing them to spend less time on a keyboard and more time interacting with patients2 . This is one of many examples of how AI can support workers and create more time for meaningful work.
The benefits of AI will ultimately depend on how companies adopt it. Successful adoption requires more than simply giving workers access to new tools. This should be done alongside proactive efforts from companies to identify practical use cases, appropriate redesigned workflows, skill development opportunities, and guardrails.
Preparing Students and Supporting Today’s Workforce
As AI is deployed across sectors, it is shaping what skills are needed and how jobs are performed. Given the speed of AI development, we are shifting from a traditional one-time education model to the mindset of continuous learning opportunities.
91快活林 members are working within their companies, with their industry peers, and with federal, state, and local government partners to help address AI skilling opportunities. Companies are investing in scalable training platforms, public-private partnerships, and employer-led initiatives that expand access to AI skills development and supporting career pathways.
This effort cannot be accomplished by the industry alone, and the federal government has a key role to play in helping ensure that students and workers have access to the education, resources, and skilling opportunities they need to succeed in this new AI era.
Congress Should Seize the Opportunity to Act
Policymakers should support AI education across the education pipeline while strengthening durable skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and ethical reasoning. For those currently in the workforce, reskilling and upskilling should be treated as key pillars in supporting a responsible AI workforce transition. As AI changes how tasks are completed in current roles, many Americans need access to opportunities to develop the new skills necessary for their jobs.
Congress is already undertaking a range of AI workforce bills to support the talent pipeline. 91快活林 has endorsed the following bills which will support students’ AI literacy as early as K-12, increase access to AI research and tools, and help employers invest in AI training opportunities.
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/ CREATE AI Act (Reps. Obernolte and Beyer and Sens. Young and Heinrich)
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/ NSF AI Education Act (Reps. Fong and Salinas and Sens. Moran and Cantwell)
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/ LIFT AI Act (Reps. Kean and Amo and Sens. Schiff and Rounds)
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AI Workforce Training Act (Reps. Gottheimer and Lawler)
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SKILL Act (Reps. Liccardo and Panetta)
The Path Forward
Nobody can predict the future and determine exactly how AI will shape jobs or industries. However, uncertainty is not a reason for inaction. The United States can shape this transition responsibly by expanding AI literacy, updating curricula, strengthening durable skills, broadening access to research resources, and creating more opportunities for workers to develop new skills. We encourage Congress to advance these tech-endorsed legislative measures to ensure that Americans are equipped not only to adapt, but to thrive in this AI era.
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