Federal AI Training Expands to Managers and Tech Staff: GSA Takes Over Program Management

The AI Training Extension Act of 2025 is essentially the federal government saying, “We need more people to understand AI, and we need to get serious about it.” This bill significantly expands the mandatory Artificial Intelligence training requirements for executive branch employees, moving it beyond just the acquisition workforce to cover managers, supervisors, and all employees in data or technology positions.

More Seats at the AI Table

Previously, AI training was mostly aimed at the people who buy stuff for the government (the acquisition workforce). This bill broadens the net dramatically. Now, if you are a supervisor, a management official (using the standard definitions in Title 5), or if your job is classified by OPM as a Data or Technology position (like those in the Mathematical Sciences or IT Groups), you are now required to take this training. Think of this as an attempt to make sure the people managing the projects and the people building the systems actually understand the tools they are using—or buying. For example, a mid-level manager overseeing a team of coders will now need to understand the privacy risks of the AI tools their team is developing, which wasn’t necessarily a requirement before.

Shifting the Control Panel

Another big change is who runs the show. Responsibility for establishing and running this AI training program shifts from the previous director-led structure to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), who will coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The GSA Administrator now has the green light to either create a brand-new training program or, more efficiently, integrate this new AI curriculum into existing training programs, like those already offered to federal employees. This centralization under GSA is intended to standardize the training experience across agencies and potentially streamline the rollout.

What They’ll Be Learning

The training content itself is updated to be much more comprehensive and practical. It’s not just about the basics anymore. The curriculum must now cover the science behind AI, the potential benefits for the federal government (like efficiency gains), and crucially, the risks, including specific privacy risks associated with AI deployment. Employees will also be trained on best practices for developing, deploying, and managing AI systems, and the critical role of data in making these systems work. This reflects a growing understanding that AI literacy needs to be about governance and risk management, not just technology adoption. The GSA Administrator is also tasked with incorporating feedback from trainees to keep the program current, ensuring the training doesn't become outdated the moment it's launched.

The Takeaway for the Real World

For the average person, this bill means that the federal government is trying to get smarter, faster, about using AI. When you interact with a government service—say, a new online portal or a system that processes your application—the people who bought, managed, and built that system should, in theory, have a better understanding of how AI might affect your data privacy or the fairness of the outcome. The bill is a necessary administrative step to raise the baseline knowledge of thousands of federal employees, acknowledging that AI isn't just a niche issue anymore; it's a management and risk issue. The only real administrative friction might come from the sheer volume of new employees now required to complete the training, potentially creating a short-term burden for agencies trying to schedule and implement the new curriculum.