By Trish Svoboda

On May 23, the bipartisan NSF AI Education Act of 2024 was introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Maria Cantwell, senior members of the Senate Committee on Commerce. The act aims to broaden scholarship and professional development opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), with backing from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Sen. Moran said “Artificial Intelligence has tremendous potential, but it will require a skilled and capable workforce to unlock its capabilities. If we want to fully understand AI and remain globally competitive, we must invest in the future workforce today. This legislation takes an all-of-the-above approach, investing in STEM education, fellowships, and hands-on learning from kindergarten to college for students in rural areas, at community colleges, and from low-income homes. Inspiration to explore and the resources to learn will help make certain the U.S. is an AI leader in the next century.”

The NSF AI Education Act aims to expand AI education by allowing the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships at various levels, establish professional development fellowships, and integrate AI learning in K-12 and community colleges. It also plans to fund AI research and training in agriculture through Land-Grant Universities and the Cooperative Extension Service. You can read the bill here, and the summary here.