Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks Data-Driven Map of AI's Impact on US Jobs

A bipartisan group of senators is advancing the AI Workforce Projections, Research and Evaluations to Promote AI Readiness and Employment (AI Workforce PREPARE) Act to modernize how the U.S. government tracks artificial intelligence in the workplace. The legislation seeks to move federal labor statistics beyond simple unemployment figures to understand the granular ways AI is altering specific job roles.

Introduced in December by Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.), the bill is co-sponsored by Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). On July 29, 2026, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Employment and Workforce Safety held a hearing to discuss the proposal. The act would authorize the Department of Labor to hire AI specialists and establish an AI Workforce Research Hub. To gather data, the bill proposes adding AI-specific questions to existing federal surveys to track employer deployment and identify which occupations are most affected.

The Data Gap

Policymakers argue that current labor statistics are insufficient for capturing the nuances of the AI transition. Rather than focusing solely on total job loss, the legislation targets the transformation of specific tasks and evolving skill requirements. Senator Jim Banks noted that existing statistics often fail to show how tasks within an occupation are changing or how workers are moving through the labor force due to AI. Senator John Hickenlooper emphasized the necessity of this approach, stating that "informed policy starts with good data."

Industry Implications

The shift toward data-driven planning addresses a growing concern that AI may not cause mass unemployment, but could instead "hollow out" mid-level positions. Ken Clark, CEO of EmployIndy, warned that the primary long-term risk is the disruption of traditional career pathways that workers use to gain experience and develop new skills. By developing benchmarks to identify tasks likely to be automated, the government aims to create more effective worker retraining strategies.

Next Steps

Because the bill is framed as a data-gathering effort rather than a direct regulatory measure on AI technology, it has maintained bipartisan support. Observers are now watching for the bill's progress through the Senate following the July subcommittee hearing to see if it will move toward a full vote.