Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the AI Workforce Projections, Research, and Evaluations to Promote AI Readiness and Employment Act (AI Workforce PREPARE Act, S.3339) with bipartisan cosponsors including Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Jon Husted (R-Ohio). The bill addresses AI’s workforce impact through federal data collection, research infrastructure, and updated worker notification requirements.
Key provisions include: establishing an AI Workforce Research Hub within the Department of Labor, staffed by approximately 20 AI experts; updating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) Act to require employers to provide basic information to employees if AI is a substantial factor in a layoff; directing prize competitions to study AI adoption and task-level automation effects across occupations; facilitating voluntary public-private partnerships for anonymised AI adoption data sharing; improving AI-related questions in federal labour market surveys; and commissioning a study on rapid retraining programme design for AI-displaced workers.
Who it affects: Workers at risk of AI-driven displacement across all sectors. The WARN Act update would create a new disclosure obligation for employers conducting AI-related layoffs.
What is notably missing: The bill remains in committee with no scheduled markup. It creates research and disclosure obligations but does not establish a right to retraining, mandate employer-provided AI training, or create funding for displaced worker programmes. The WARN Act amendment addresses notification only, not prevention or retraining. No AI literacy or competency requirements for workers are included. The bill does not address gig workers or independent contractors.