Husted leads bill to integrate AI talent in federal workforce

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) in introducing the bipartisan AI Talent Act. This bill would create an artificial intelligence (AI) and tech talent team within the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to provide guidance in hiring experts in AI to join federal agencies.

The hiring team would be composed of recruiters and assessment and subject matter experts who would support the agency in hiring quality talent.

Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) introduced the companion version of the AI Talent Act in the House of Representatives.

"AI will dominate the technology landscape of the future, and our country must be prepared. To win the AI race, we need every part of our government to understand and use this technology effectively. This bill will bring critical AI expertise into federal agencies, and I'm proud to lead it to make sure we're hiring for the future," said Husted.

"We should have strong bipartisan support for the importance of recruiting talent in government and uplifting the next generation of public servants. By providing specialized tools to recruit for expertise in emerging technologies like AI, this legislation can make us more competitive and build a well-equipped federal workforce to leverage AI for a more secure and stable future," said Kim.

"The United States can't fully deliver on its national security mission, lead in responsible AI, and compete in the AI race if our federal agencies don't have the talent to meet this moment. Right now, the government is competing with the private sector, which can hire faster and pay more, leaving critical roles unfilled and U.S. potential untapped. That's why I'm proud to introduce the bipartisan and bicameral AI Talent Act to modernize hiring, recruit and retain top technical experts into public service, and guarantee the United States has the in-house capabilities to innovate safely, protect our country, and deliver for the American people," said Jacobs.

"Modernizing the way our government hires technical talent is essential to America's competitiveness and national security. The AI Talent Act gives federal agencies the tools they need to recruit experts with real, demonstrated skills so we can responsibly adopt AI and strengthen mission delivery across government. This bipartisan bill helps ensure the United States continues to lead the world in innovation by bringing the best equipped people into public service at the right time," said Obernolte.

"America's strength has always come from leading the world in innovation and technology. To keep that edge and protect our national security, we must have the world's best AI talent. Right now, an outdated, bureaucratic hiring system is pushing that talent elsewhere. The AI Talent Act fixes this so that we can recruit, retain, and deploy innovators who will ensure that our nation remains the global leader in AI for decades to come and can compete in the face of evolving technological threats," said Fallon.

"It's past time to modernize the federal government's hiring process so we bring in the skilled workers needed to stay competitive in fast-growing fields like Artificial Intelligence. I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill that will help ensure AI is used responsibly throughout government and strengthen U.S. leadership in the technologies of the future," said Brown.

This bill builds on Husted's work to leverage AI for America's benefit. He recently introduced the RAISE Act, the bill would add AI and technology literacy to the subjects that states may establish standards for in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Leveraging AI increases productivity in the classroom and workplace. Husted also introduced a bill to streamline the mammoth Code of Federal Regulations by using an AI tool to identify redundant and outdated rules. The bill is based on the success that Ohio has had using an AI tool to locate and remove outdated, conflicting or redundant content in the state code. As a result, the state is on the road to shaving 5 million unnecessary words from its 17-million-word code, saving an estimated $44 million in taxpayer dollars and tens of thousands of manhours.

Full text of the bill is available here.