AI in Government Act of 2020

AI in Government Act of 2020

This bill creates the AI Center of Excellence within the General Services Administration.

The center shall

• facilitate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the federal government,
• improve cohesion and competency in the adoption and use of AI within the federal government, and
• carry out such activities for the purposes of benefitting the public and enhancing the productivity and efficiency of federal government operations.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must issue a memorandum to federal agencies that shall

• inform the development of policies regarding federal acquisition and use by agencies regarding technologies that are empowered or enabled by AI;
• recommend approaches to remove barriers for use by agencies of AI technologies in order to promote the innovative application of those technologies while protecting civil liberties, civil rights, and economic and national security;
• identify best practices for identifying, assessing, and mitigating any discriminatory impact or bias on the basis of any classification protected under federal nondiscrimination laws, or any unintended consequence of the use of AI; and
• provide a template of the required contents of the agency plans.

The OMB shall issue a draft version of the memorandum for public comment and updates.

In addition, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must

• identify key skills and competencies needed for positions related to AI;
• establish an occupational series, or revise an existing job series, to include positions the primary duties of which relate to AI;
• establish an estimate of the number of federal employees in positions related to AI by each agency; and
• using the estimate, prepare a two-year and five-year forecast of the number of federal employees in positions related to AI that each agency will need to employ.

The OPM shall submit a comprehensive plan with a time line to complete such requirements.