What Does the US Congress AI Report Say That Matters to Regular People?

In the closing days of 2024 and the 118 session of the US Congress, the The House Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force released its report on AI. As with everything related to AI, there are many pronouncements that are promoted as an initiative that is relevant to everyone. Impacts to financial markets, and the power moves by the world’s richest people are certainly fascinating in a weird way. But realistically though, regular people are primarily interested in a few key things like, “is AI going to take my job”, “will my children just be staring at computers all day”, “will I still get to see a human doctor”, etc.

With that in mind, I’ve been reading through their report and wanted to share some of the information and remarks it contains relating to some of the areas which I think will have the most impact on average, regular people in the US – namely, employment, education, and healthcare. 

Employment and Workforce

AI’s ability to analyze data, automate tasks, and optimize operations is changing the job landscape. While these advancements bring efficiency, they also raise concerns about workforce displacement and inequality in job opportunities.

Key Impacts on Jobs:

1. Automation of Repetitive Tasks: Routine roles, such as data entry or simple manufacturing tasks, are increasingly being replaced by AI systems. This shift can lead to reduced costs for businesses but also causes job insecurity for workers in these roles.
2. Demand for New Skills: As AI takes over mundane tasks, jobs requiring creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are growing in importance. Fields like healthcare, customer service, and education are expected to see increased demand for uniquely human skills.
3. Creation of New Roles: Industries are seeing new roles emerge, such as AI ethics specialists, data curators, and human-machine interaction designers. These roles require specialized training and a deeper understanding of AI systems.
4. Skill Gaps: A lack of skilled technical workers poses a challenge. Many industries report difficulty finding employees with expertise in AI and machine learning, emphasizing the urgent need for educational reform and workforce retraining programs.
5. Gig Economy Impacts: The gig economy—already a significant part of modern employment—may also see changes as AI platforms optimize gig matching or create new gig-based opportunities for specialized tasks.

From the Report:

A 2024 survey of journalists found that over 70 percent of respondents had started using generative AI in some capacity, but they continue to have concerns about lack of human supervision, inaccurate information, bias, and more.

A 2023 survey of the animation entertainment industry found that 75% of respondents believed generative AI tools have already supported eliminating, reducing, or consolidating jobs in the industry.

 The World Economic Forum projects that over the next ten years, 1.1 billion jobs will likely be radically transformed by technologies such as AI.

A Microsoft survey notes that more than 82% of business leaders say increased AI use will require new skills from their workers.

According to an IBM survey, executives estimate that 40% of their workforce will need reskilling in response to AI and automation in the next three years, and 87% of executives expect job roles to be “augmented, rather than replaced, by generative AI.”

A 2022 survey of human resources leaders found that 98% planned to rely on software and algorithms to reduce labor costs.

Summary of the Report’s Policy Recommendations for Employment:

• Governments and businesses must prioritize workforce development programs to address the skill gaps AI creates. This involves collaboration with educational institutions to design courses that meet the demands of the modern job market.
• AI literacy programs should be introduced to help workers understand and collaborate with AI technologies. This ensures individuals at all career levels can engage with AI effectively.
• Public-private partnerships can create targeted initiatives for developing AI expertise within local communities. By leveraging the strengths of each sector, such partnerships can foster innovation and local economic growth.
• Transparency in Automation Plans: Companies should clearly communicate plans for AI integration to avoid worker unrest and ensure proper transition support.

Education

Education is another area poised to undergo rapid transformation due to AI. From personalized learning experiences to AI-driven administrative efficiencies, there seems to be some positive impact to educational practice. However, realizing these benefits requires overcoming significant challenges, including equitable access and ethical concerns.

AI’s in Education:

1. Personalized Learning: AI tools can analyze student performance and adapt learning materials to individual needs, ensuring no one falls behind. Adaptive learning platforms use AI algorithms to tailor lessons to a student’s pace and understanding.
2. Administrative Support: Tasks like grading, scheduling, and student progress tracking are becoming more efficient, allowing educators to focus on teaching. AI-powered tools can significantly reduce the administrative burden, freeing teachers to spend more time engaging with students.
3. STEM Education Boosts: Strengthening AI and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in K–12 systems is crucial to fostering the next generation of innovators. This involves updating curriculums to include foundational AI concepts.
4. Lifelong Learning Opportunities: AI-powered learning platforms make education more accessible to adults seeking to reskill or upskill, promoting career longevity in a rapidly evolving job market.

From the Report:

“Less than a third of teachers have received AI training—one 2024 survey found that 71 percent of K–12 teachers had received no professional learning about using artificial intelligence in the classroom.”

Challenges to Address:

• Equitable Access: Disparities in access to AI tools and technology must be addressed to ensure underserved communities are not left behind. This includes providing funding for schools in low-income areas to adopt AI-powered educational tools.
• Educator Preparedness: Teachers need proper training and resources to effectively use AI in the classroom. Without adequate support, the potential of AI in education may go unrealized.
• Ethical Concerns: Ethical guidelines for AI in education must be established to prevent misuse and ensure students’ privacy is protected. Transparency in how AI tools collect and use student data is essential.
• Digital Divide: The integration of AI in education highlights the broader digital divide. Students without access to reliable internet or devices may face additional barriers to learning.

Summary of the Report’s Policy Recommendations for Education:

The report emphasizes investments in K–12 AI education, particularly in underserved areas. Policymakers must:

• Support initiatives to standardize AI-related curricula across schools, ensuring consistency and inclusivity.
• Provide educators with AI-specific training to help them harness the technology effectively. Training programs should include both technical and pedagogical aspects of AI.
• Encourage regional partnerships between educational institutions, industries, and governments to nurture local AI talent. Such partnerships can also help bridge the gap between academic learning and industry needs.
• Expand funding for digital infrastructure in schools, ensuring all students have access to the tools they need to succeed in an AI-driven world.

Healthcare

And finally, healthcare is obviously a topic that weighs heavily on the minds of everybody who lives in the US. The integration of AI technologies into medical research, diagnosis, and care delivery has the potential to improve healthcare for many people. But we must wait to see if the trajectory has a positive influence on outcomes for patients, or if it ultimately just reduces costs and administrative burdens for healthcare providers. Hopefully that is a false dichotomy, and we can live in a world where everyone gets better healthcare and it costs less money.

Key Impacts of AI in Healthcare:

1. Enhanced Diagnostics: AI-powered tools can analyze medical imaging and patient data with incredible speed and accuracy, aiding in early diagnosis of diseases like cancer and neurological disorders.
2. Drug Development: AI algorithms can identify potential drug candidates more quickly, streamlining the drug development process and accelerating the delivery of lifesaving medications.
3. Administrative Efficiency: By automating routine tasks such as billing, scheduling, and record-keeping, AI allows healthcare providers to focus more on patient care.
4. Personalized Medicine: AI enables the development of customized treatment plans based on individual patient data, improving the efficacy of treatments and patient outcomes.
5. Telemedicine Support: AI-driven chatbots and diagnostic tools are enhancing telemedicine platforms, making healthcare more accessible to patients in remote areas.

Challenges in AI Healthcare Integration:

• Interoperability Issues: The lack of standardized medical data and algorithms impedes seamless data sharing between systems, limiting AI’s full potential.
• Bias in AI Models: If trained on biased datasets, AI systems can produce skewed results, leading to disparities in care.
• Ethical and Privacy Concerns: Patient data security and adherence to ethical standards must remain a priority to maintain public trust in AI-driven healthcare systems.

Summary of the Report’s Policy Recommendations for Healthcare:

• Encourage risk management frameworks that ensure AI systems in healthcare are safe, effective, and transparent.
• Develop incentives for healthcare organizations to adopt AI technologies responsibly, balancing innovation with patient safety.
• Support the standardization of medical data to facilitate interoperability and enhance the efficiency of AI systems.
• Promote training programs for healthcare professionals to effectively integrate AI tools into their practice.

The Big Picture

Clearly, the leadership segment of the US foresees many opportunities for positive impact to our society:

• Economic Growth: AI-driven innovations could lead to increased productivity, opening doors to economic growth that benefits society as a whole.
• Increased Accessibility: AI could make education and employment opportunities more accessible, particularly for individuals with disabilities.
• Global Competitiveness: By fostering an AI-literate workforce, the U.S. could maintain its leadership in AI innovation, ensuring that technological advancements translate into global influence and economic stability.

But coming back down to earth, if we think beyond employment and education, AI’s integration into daily life raises questions about equity, accessibility, and the long-term implications of automation.

• Bias and Discrimination: AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. Ensuring diverse and inclusive data sets is essential to preventing systemic discrimination.
• Economic Disparities: Without proactive measures, AI’s benefits could disproportionately favor affluent communities, exacerbating existing inequalities.
• Workforce Displacement: Policymakers must consider the social and economic implications of job displacement, ensuring safety nets and retraining programs are in place.
• Data Privacy: As AI systems rely on vast amounts of data, ensuring robust privacy protections is non-negotiable.

From the Report:

In 2015, Amazon acknowledged that its internal AI-driven recruitment technology systematically ranked female applicants’ resumes lower than male applicants’ because the AI model was trained primarily on male applicants.

The 2022 survey of human resource leaders mentioned previously found only 50% were completely confident that their tech would make unbiased decisions.

Looking Ahead

The Congressional report on AI outlines a vision where AI is a tool to empower workers, students, and patients, not replace them. A lot of people, including myself, are very much hoping that is the version of the future that comes to be. By guiding innovation so that technological advancement is done with ethical regard, and addressing key challenges, policymakers, educators, and industries can work together to harness AI’s transformative power for the benefit of all of us, instead of just those few already at the top.

Get a copy of the full 2024 US Congressional report on AI.

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