Somerset Times

On September 11, 2024, the Science, Space and Technology Committee passed H.R. 9211, the Literacy in Future Technologies (LIFT) Artificial Intelligence Act. This bill aims to improve artificial intelligence literacy for K-12 students and was introduced by Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07), with Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) as a co-leader.

“Early childhood understanding of AI will have positive spillover impacts in our everyday life, work productivity, and social circles,” said Congressman Kean. “Proficient understanding of AI will mitigate negative impacts of this technology, specifically in the AI-generated content space. To ensure our children succeed in the field of artificial intelligence, we need to start preparing them early in the classroom. I thank my colleagues on the Science, Space and Technology Committee for supporting my bill and look forward to seeing this on the House Floor.”

“The bipartisan LIFT AI Act is about helping the next generation of students be prepared by making sure that they have skills to use artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively, regardless of the career they decide to pursue,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “I thank Congressman Kean for his leadership and my colleagues on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology who voted to advance this legislation today. I look forward to pushing together for it to be passed in the full House of Representatives.”

The LIFT AI Act proposes several initiatives:

- Support a grant program within NSF for research and development of AI literacy curriculum and evaluation methods for K-12 education.

- Support professional learning opportunities for educators, principals, and school leaders through courses, mentoring programs, and best practice development.

- Promote hands-on learning tools integration into existing curriculums and develop evaluation tools to assess AI literacy proficiency.

Congressman Kean currently serves on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.