Conference: AI-Ready America Workshop

Even as Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies develop and advance rapidly across industry, government, and society at large, the systems needed to ensure that Americans are not only literate, but well-trained and skilled, in the effective use of these technologies are not keeping pace. To discuss strategies for creating an AI-ready American population a two-day workshop on AI-Ready America will be held in Washington, D.C., to bring together stakeholders from federal agencies, state and local governments, industry, philanthropy, education, and community organizations. Topics to be explored at the workshop include the nature of AI adoption and its spread across various sectors of the U.S. economy, including small businesses; beneficial use of AI in local communities; AI education at every level; and workforce training in AI. The workshop will develop recommendations on how to assist individuals, communities, and businesses in adopting AI capabilities to their benefit, while also assessing gaps that may exist in AI education and workforce training. Discussions will focus on the infrastructure, coordination mechanisms, and learning pathways needed to accelerate AI diffusion and adoption across the United States, with the eventual goal of developing a more capable AI-trained national workforce to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness. The areas of focus for this workshop include federal coordination, state and local government efforts, industry and nonprofit partnerships, and AI literacy and education across K–12, higher education, and workforce systems. The outcomes from the workshop include a set of actionable recommendations to accelerate AI diffusion and literacy throughout the U.S. The workshop is co-funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.