Rep. Panetta Joins Push for Human-Centered Framework to Provide Guardrails for AI in Education and Workforce

Washington, D.C. – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined the introduction of comprehensive legislation to establish guardrails against artificial intelligence (AI) risks in education and the workforce and invest in protections for students, educators, and workers. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) is leading the bill.

The Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act is a robust federal framework to protect students, educators, and workers and help them safely navigate the technology in their classrooms and careers. The bill establishes national workforce strategies and coordinates evidence-based programs across the Departments of Education and Labor. It also directs safety research at federal science agencies, creates enforceable safeguards, protects workers and communities, invests in professional development, and more.

“As the emergence of artificial intelligence reshapes our education system and workforce, the federal government needs to lead with the appropriate guardrails and necessary programs to protect our students, teachers, and working families,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud to cosponsor this wide-ranging federal framework to ensure that AI is deployed strategically in classrooms and offices, protecting human-centered education and training, while investing in open-access research, upskilling resources, new pilot programs, clear safety standards, and transparency. AI has significant potential, but we must implement standards to ensure its deployment is safe, stable, and secure.”

“AI is already shaping how students learn and how people earn a living, but federal rules and regulations to protect students, support workers, and enforce ethical standards do not exist,” said Rep. Bonamici. “The companies building these tools don’t get to regulate themselves; we need clear rules and accountability for how AI is used in classrooms and workplaces. My human-centered legislation will empower and protect students, families, educators and others in the workforce by investing in evidence-based research, reskilling, transparency, safety, and long-term strategies. Congress must act now so AI does not continue to threaten the development of critical thinking skills and the wellbeing of humanity.”

The legislation has been endorsed by Alliance for Learning Innovation, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), American Council on Education, American Federation of Teachers, Center for American Progress, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and Workday.

Full text of the legislation can be found here. A summary of the legislation can be found here, and a section-by-section breakdown can be found here.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Require AI risk assessment standards for classroom technology, safeguards against harmful content, parental notice and opt-out rights, human review of automated decisions in federally funded workforce programs, and a secure student data breach reporting portal, enforced jointly by the Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission;
• Create strict safety compliance requirements, including prohibiting the use of student data to train AI models, open licensing and access of funded research and learning materials, independent evaluations and audits, human oversight and bias testing, robust data security protocols, and adoption of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI risk management framework;
• Prohibit model developers from directing school instructional content or requiring exclusive use of their AI product;
• Require data center operators to disclose pre-construction energy and water consumption projections and actual operational consumption, direct NIST to develop AI infrastructure energy and water measurement standards, and fund state, local, and community capacity for data center oversight, audits, and environmental research;
• Establish an Interagency Council on Artificial Intelligence in Education and the Workforce to publish and update list of AI-disrupted jobs to guide program design;
• Establish grants for regional career pathways and stackable micro-credential pilot programs to support interdisciplinary studies and project-based learning;
• Support in-service training for school leaders that pairs AI literacy with humanities, critical thinking, and work-based learning, including on algorithmic bias, student data privacy, and preventing reliance on AI for critical educator roles;
• Provide resources for educator professional development on responsible and ethical AI use; facilitate open-access education research on evidence-based, voluntary materials for AI-related literacy, ethics, civics, and humanities;
• Fund open-access research on AI effects in education, Regional Centers for Human-Centered AI in Education and Work, and updated federal practice guides for the responsible use of AI in the classroom;
• Invest in applied AI workforce research on employment disruption, regional training with wraparound supports, and evidence-based educator toolkits;
• Direct National AI Workforce Strategy and State AI Workforce Implementation Plans, supported by a national workforce coordination council, to assess skills gaps, identify disrupted occupations, and align programs with regional labor needs;
• Provide grants for community colleges, small employers, and workforce programs to develop research and upskilling resources for individuals in non-traditional career pathways;
• Create grants for apprenticeships, reskilling, and public service fellowships; require AI accessibility in vocational programs; provide a small business reskilling tax credit; and require reporting on AI-caused worker displacement;
• Establish grants for equitable AI education access, capacity building at minority-serving institutions, career scholarships, mentorship networks, and technical assistance; and
• Require EEOC liability guidance on preventing discriminatory AI use in recruitment, training, and performance evaluation.

In addition to Rep. Panetta, the package is cosponsored by Representatives Ted Lieu (CA-36), Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Greg Landsman (OH-01).