Darren Soto, a Democratic congressman from Florida, is pushing a bill called the “A.I. Jobs Act” that will ask the Department of Labor to study the effects of A.I. development on the American workforce in conjunction with concerned businesses and educational institutions.
Soto is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was also chosen to co-chair the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, a bipartisan group that promotes blockchain technology.
Here is an excerpt from a report in Florida Daily:
Soto’s office explained why he had brought out the bill.
“The bill comes during the National Science Foundation’s open call for submissions for the Earlyconcept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGERs), a federal grant supporting AI projects that increase understanding in AI technologies and provide scientific contributions to overcome arising challenges,” Soto’s office noted. “The AI Jobs Act of 2019 would collect data to analyze which industries are projected to have the most growth through artificial intelligence, and the demographics which may experience expanded career opportunities and those most vulnerable to job displacement. To ensure transparency, the report will be conducted in a nonpartisan manner, in collaboration with educational institutions; employers and think tanks in the tech and manufacturing sectors; and the Secretary of Commerce.”
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Education and Labor and has almost 10 cosponsors including U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. Intel Corporation, Lyft and the Center for Data Innovation have backed the bill. So far, there is no version of the bill over in the U.S. Senate.
