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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko, one of just a handful of engineers currently serving in Congress, announced tonight that his Artificial Intelligence Education Act has passed the House as part of this year’s final National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 335-78. His bipartisan legislation would establish grants and other support to be administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help K-12 students develop artificial intelligence (AI) skills, experience and a deeper understanding of the ethics and social implications of this emerging field.

“We have only begun to scratch the surface of what AI can do to revolutionize our health care, manufacturing, technology and other fields that will drive America’s 21^st century economic and technological growth,” Congressman Tonko said. “The surest way to keep our nation at the leading competitive edge is to make sure our next generation of workers, innovators and entrepreneurs is equipped with the tools and familiarity necessary to work in and advance these fields.”

The original idea for the bill was presented to Tonko by then-Shaker High School senior Nathan Wang, who is now a freshman studying biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

“I was excited to receive this recommendation from Nathan Wang, who was a Shaker High School senior at the time, to expand K-12 training in AI education,” Tonko added. “I’m proud to say we introduced and advanced a powerful piece of legislation to deliver on Nathan’s vision. I remain hopeful that this inspiring bill will be signed into law this year, thanks in large part to the tireless work of our Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, and I urge my colleagues to continue to support our efforts to open the doors to AI education to all of America’s students, educators and schools.”

Tonko’s AI Education Act would:

• Ensure that artificial intelligence education is accessible to K-12 students
• Increase awareness of potential ethical, social, safety, and security risks of artificial systems
• Promote curriculum development for teaching topics related to artificial intelligence
• Support efforts to achieve equitable access to K-12 artificial intelligence education
• Promote the widespread understanding of artificial intelligence principles and methods to create an educated workforce and general public able to use products enabled by artificial intelligence systems and adapt to future societal and economic changes caused by artificial intelligence systems
• Bolster America’s STEM-educated K-12 teaching workforce by expanding eligibility for the Robert Noyce Teacher Training Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarship to science, technology, and mathematics undergraduates who choose to pursue a career in K-12 education.

The AI Education Act is supported by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Cornell University, International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE), Penn State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Scale, and is included in the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative section of the National Defense Authorization Act. Specifically, in TITLE IV—National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Activities.

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