Walberg Bill Would Track AI Adoption Across U.S. Workforce

Legislation targets AI workforce data gap

Congressman Tim Walberg has introduced federal legislation requiring the Bureau of Labor Statistics to systematically track artificial intelligence adoption and its impact on American workers. The AI Workforce Assessment and Research Enhancement Act—known as the AWARE Act—would make AI usage a standard component of federal labor data collection.

The bill responds to findings from a 2019 congressional directive that revealed policymakers lack adequate data to understand how AI and automation technologies are reshaping employment. According to Walberg, the Bureau of Labor Statistics currently has no consistent or timely method for measuring employer AI adoption or worker impacts.

What the bill would change

The AWARE Act would amend existing federal labor statistics laws to incorporate AI usage data into routine BLS surveys. This information would be collected alongside traditional employment metrics such as job counts and hours worked.

The legislation follows a 2019 congressional mandate directing the BLS to develop a strategy for tracking automation, digitization, and AI in the workforce. That effort culminated in a report to Congress identifying significant data collection shortfalls.

"Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming our workforce, making it essential for us to understand the impact this new technology is having on our employment landscape," Walberg stated when introducing the measure.

Why it matters

Without systematic data on AI deployment, federal and state governments operate blind when designing workforce training programs, unemployment policies, and economic development strategies. The absence of reliable metrics makes it nearly impossible to distinguish between job displacement caused by AI versus other economic factors, or to identify which industries and occupations face the greatest disruption. Standardized BLS data collection would give policymakers, researchers, and business leaders a common factual foundation for decisions affecting millions of workers.

Implementation details

Walberg emphasized that the legislation aims to provide clarity necessary to support workers and guide training initiatives while helping the United States maintain its position in technological innovation. The bill would establish AI tracking as a permanent feature of federal labor statistics rather than a one-time study.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly conducts surveys of employers and households to produce official employment statistics. Adding AI-related questions to these existing instruments would create longitudinal data showing how adoption patterns evolve over time and vary across industries, regions, and company sizes.

These details were first reported by WSJM.