Senate Panel Hears SHRM Testimony on the Need for Greater AI Literacy

Artificial intelligence literacy and curiosity are new must-have skills for employees in nearly every role in the workplace, testified Ken Meyer, SHRM-SCP, senior director of human resources for Ryan Health in New York City, on behalf of SHRM before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on Sept. 25. Meyer is the immediate past president of the New York City chapter of SHRM.

As more businesses adopt AI, U.S. workers will need to learn, adapt to, and use this technology to remain competitive, Meyer testified during the hearing, called “Reading the Room: Preparing Workers for AI.” SHRM’s research shows that 30% of HR leaders feel greater pressure to innovate and 28% believe there is an increased need to upskill and reskill workers.

There is a “huge scarcity in AI literacy” in the talent pool, testified Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn in Sunnyvale, Calif. The gap will not be closed easily, she said before the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, a subpanel of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The AI revolution that is taking place “will define a generation of students and workers,” testified Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of aiEDU in San Francisco. He called for a national movement for AI readiness and warned that, after the next recession, there could be “wide-ranging displacement” due to AI.

AI Scares Some, Excites Others

New technology scares some, noted Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., ranking member of the subcommittee. He asked the witnesses for the hearing whether older workers were more frightened by AI than younger workers who are more comfortable with technology.

Meyer said people are “excited about [AI] technology,” which would only become more advanced in the future. “Three to five years from now, [AI] could be completely different,” he said.

AI offers companies a “great reverse-mentorship opportunity for organizations,” Meyer added, explaining that younger members of the workforce might mentor older workers.

AI brings anxiety for many people and anticipation and optimism for others, said Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., noting he was optimistic about the technology. He asked how AI might change, rather than eliminate, jobs.

“It’s hard to know what the jobs of the future are,” Kimbrough replied, as each year, the fastest-growing jobs are often occupations that didn’t exist before. But she predicted that AI won’t replace durable skills such as communication, collaboration, and strategic analysis.

Training, Talent Pool Possibilities

The need for workers to upskill is critical, Kimbrough emphasized, saying there should be “as many pathways as possible to upskill in a continuous way.”

Community colleges shouldn’t be overlooked as one possible pipeline for students trained in how to use AI, noted Denzel Wilson, grassroots community manager at SeedAI in Washington, D.C.

In addition, skills-based hiring can expand the talent pool and help include people from underrepresented groups, Kimbrough said.

Proposed Legislation

During the hearing, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said there has been extensive discussion about training the workforce in AI. He said there was a need to protect workers from the potential discriminatory impact of AI tools.

To that end, Markey introduced the AI Civil Rights Act of 2024 on Sept. 24. He cautioned that the U.S. can’t prepare workers for AI “without protecting them simultaneously.”

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has noted that it will be on the lookout for discrimination caused by AI tools. The EEOC has also issued guidance, saying it will enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect individuals from being discriminated against by AI.

Last year, New York City began imposing new requirements for employers using automated employment decision tools. Meyer cautioned that the cost of complying with this law means that some employers may choose not to use AI applications until there is more legislative and regulatory stability, putting them at a competitive disadvantage.

“SHRM believes the overlapping laws and regulations regarding AI may lead to unintended consequences that create uncertainty and discourage workplace innovation,” he testified. “SHRM supports a uniform federal standard that provides a clear framework for how employers should strive to prevent unlawful bias when using AI. We also support federal efforts to educate all stakeholders about the benefits and risks of AI in the workplace.”