Establishes the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act which establishes an artificial intelligence literacy in the digital equity competitive grant program.

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6874

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 18, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. TORRES -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Education

        AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an arti-
          ficial intelligence literacy in the digital equity  competitive  grant
          program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act".
     3    §  2.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature, as well as the United
     4  States congress, finds that:
     5    (1) Artificial intelligence is transformative technology.
     6    (2) Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly ubiquitous making
     7  artificial intelligence literacy important.
     8    (3) Technological leadership in artificial intelligence is an economic
     9  and national security imperative.
    10    (4) Effective artificial intelligence literacy  initiatives  encompass
    11  not  only  technical training but also comprehensive education about the
    12  potential benefits and risks.
    13    (5) Informed developers and consumers of artificial intelligence tech-
    14  nologies can help mitigate risks and biases often found in systems  that
    15  use artificial intelligence.
    16    (6)  Basic  artificial  intelligence  literacy is critical to ensuring
    17  Americans have the tools and knowledge needed to  navigate  the  economy
    18  and digital world.
    19    (7)  Successful  artificial  intelligence  literacy  initiatives  will
    20  prepare Americans of all ages and technical backgrounds to safely  navi-
    21  gate  artificial  intelligence tools and artificial intelligence-enabled
    22  technologies.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08797-02-5
        A. 6874                             2

     1    (8) Communities most negatively impacted by  artificial  intelligence-
     2  enabled  technologies often have the least access to artificial intelli-
     3  gence education.
     4    (9)  Artificial  intelligence  literacy initiatives must engage stake-
     5  holders and communities in all  stages  and  specific  outreach  efforts
     6  should  be  made  for  communities  disproportionately  impacted  by the
     7  digital divide, including minority and rural communities.
     8    (10) Jobs for the Future survey found 58% believe that learning oppor-
     9  tunities around artificial intelligence should be  offered  to  workers,
    10  53%  believe  such  opportunities  should  be available to learners, 54%
    11  believe they would feel more prepared for the future impact  of  artifi-
    12  cial intelligence if they were given learning tools for it.
    13    (11)  As  of 2018, the U.S. artificial intelligence workforce stood at
    14  about 14,000,000 workers or 9%  of  employment.  Demand  for  artificial
    15  intelligence  occupations  is projected to grow twice as fast as for all
    16  occupations in the U.S.
    17    (12) In 2021, black students made up only 7.5% of artificial  intelli-
    18  gence-related  bachelor's  degrees  despite  making  up 14% of the popu-
    19  lation. Women account for 60% of college graduates and only 40% of  STEM
    20  graduates and 25% of artificial intelligence graduates.
    21    (13)  The need for a strong workforce of artificial intelligence work-
    22  ers, as well an artificial  intelligence-literate  population,  requires
    23  investment in artificial intelligence literacy education.
    24    §  3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 115 to read
    25  as follows:
    26    § 115. Artificial intelligence literacy in the digital equity  compet-
    27  itive  grant  program.  1.  Definitions.  As  used  in this section, the
    28  following terms shall mean:
    29    a. "Artificial intelligence literacy" means the skills associated with
    30  the ability to comprehend the basic principles, concepts,  and  applica-
    31  tions  of  artificial intelligence, as well as the implications, limita-
    32  tions and ethical considerations associated with the use  of  artificial
    33  intelligence.
    34    b.  "Community  organization" means not-for-profit community organiza-
    35  tions, other than a school, community college or institution  of  higher
    36  education, which offer free educational programs to the general public.
    37    c. "Program" means the artificial intelligence literacy in the digital
    38  equity  competitive  grant  program established under subdivision two of
    39  this section.
    40    2. Artificial intelligence literacy in the digital equity  competitive
    41  grant  program.  The commissioner shall establish an artificial intelli-
    42  gence literacy in the digital equity  competitive  grant  program  which
    43  shall  provide grants to public elementary and secondary schools, commu-
    44  nity colleges, institutions of higher education, and community organiza-
    45  tions. The commissioner shall also establish criteria for  the  develop-
    46  ment  and  submission  of  grant  applications and proposals and for the
    47  selection of recipients of grants from the program. Such program shall:
    48    a. provide grants to public elementary and  secondary  schools  to  be
    49  used for:
    50    (i)  providing  teachers training and certification to support artifi-
    51  cial intelligence literacy efforts in schools.
    52    (ii) facilitating attendance of teachers at  professional  development
    53  courses,  workshops,  and conferences related to artificial intelligence
    54  education, including  professional  development  related  to  artificial
    55  intelligence course design and fee-based professional development.
        A. 6874                             3

     1    (iii)  for  schools  without resources for computer science education,
     2  developing and designing best practices for computer  science  materials
     3  needed for artificial intelligence education.
     4    (iv)  supporting  partnerships  with  the private sector to facilitate
     5  artificial intelligence education.
     6    (v) equipping schools with labs to provide students  hands-on  artifi-
     7  cial intelligence learning experiences.
     8    (vi)  developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and
     9  individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities.
    10    b. provide grants to community colleges to be used for:
    11    (i) developing and implementing an interdisciplinary literacy  program
    12  with  respect  to  artificial intelligence for non-traditional learners,
    13  including through partnerships  with  non-profit  educational  organiza-
    14  tions.
    15    (ii)  developing labs to provide students hands-on artificial intelli-
    16  gence learning experiences.
    17    (iii) developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and
    18  individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities.
    19    c. provide grants to institutions of higher education to be used for:
    20    (i) developing labs to provide students hands-on  artificial  intelli-
    21  gence learning experiences.
    22    (ii)  developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and
    23  individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities.
    24    (iii) developing programming and pedagogical  tools  with  respect  to
    25  artificial  intelligence  education  and  instruction for the benefit of
    26  elementary and secondary school teachers and community educators.
    27    d. provide grants to community organizations to be used for:
    28    (i) providing training and certification with  respect  to  artificial
    29  intelligence  education  and  instruction  to employees of the community
    30  organizations.
    31    (ii) developing  and  implementing  artificial  intelligence  learning
    32  experiences  and  educational programming to the community served by the
    33  community organizations.
    34    e. require any entity which is awarded a grant under  the  program  to
    35  submit a report to the commissioner on or before July first of each year
    36  for  four  years  following the grant being awarded which shall include,
    37  but not be limited to:
    38    (i) the number of administrators and teachers trained or scheduled for
    39  training.
    40    (ii) the number of schools that have implemented this  program  across
    41  the state.
    42    (iii) the number of students reached, and at which grade level.
    43    (iv) disaggregated data based on race, ethnicity, county, and school.
    44    (v) prospective timeline to reach all schools.
    45    (vi) the amount of the grant.
    46    (vii) the use of grant amounts.
    47    (viii)  the  progress  of the entity towards fulfilling the objectives
    48  for which the grant was awarded.
    49    3. Reports. On or before January first next succeeding  the  effective
    50  date of this section and each January first thereafter, the commissioner
    51  shall  submit  a  report to the governor, the temporary president of the
    52  senate, the speaker of the assembly, and the chairs of  the  senate  and
    53  assembly  education  committees  and  higher  education committees which
    54  shall include, but not be limited  to,  summarizing  and  analyzing  the
    55  reports  submitted  to the commissioner for that year and information on
        A. 6874                             4

     1  such reports required under paragraph  e  of  subdivision  two  of  this
     2  section.
     3    4. Rules and regulations. The commissioner shall have the authority to
     4  establish  rules  and  regulations  to  implement the provisions of this
     5  section.
     6    § 4. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become  a
     7  law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
     8  rule  or  regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
     9  effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
    10  effective date.