This bill establishes a five-year public awareness and education campaign, managed by the Secretary of Commerce, to improve public understanding and consumer literacy regarding artificial intelligence.
Nanette Barragán
Representative
CA-44
This bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act, requiring the Secretary of Commerce to launch a five-year public campaign about AI. The campaign's goal is to increase public understanding of AI's role in daily life and improve consumer literacy regarding its capabilities and limitations. It mandates the development of multi-lingual resources, outreach to vulnerable populations, and annual reporting on performance metrics.
Commerce Department to Launch 5-Year AI Education Blitz: Helping You Spot Scams and Navigate Automation.
The Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act sets up a massive five-year project to pull back the curtain on AI. Within 180 days of this bill becoming law, the Secretary of Commerce has to launch a nationwide campaign to explain exactly how AI is already baked into your daily life—from the apps on your phone to the software your boss uses at work. The goal is simple: boost 'AI consumer literacy' so you can actually understand the capabilities and limits of the tech you're using every day. Section 2 specifically tasks the government with making sure you know your legal rights when it comes to these algorithms.
Decoding the Matrix
This isn't just about high-level theory; the bill requires the campaign to get into the weeds of practical use cases. We're talking about how AI affects your personal finances, your healthcare, and even your job hunt. For example, if you're a warehouse worker worried about automation or a coder looking to use AI tools for productivity, this campaign is supposed to provide resources on those specific workforce opportunities. Under Section 2, the Secretary also has to create a mobile-friendly website and distribute info through TV, radio, and the internet in multiple languages, ensuring that whether you're a digital native or someone who prefers the evening news, you aren't left in the dark about how your data is being used.
Protecting the Vulnerable and the Local Shop
One of the most practical parts of this bill is its focus on safety. Section 2 directs the government to teach people how to tell the difference between a real human video and an AI-generated 'deepfake.' It specifically calls for targeted outreach to senior citizens, who are often the primary targets for high-tech scams. If you’re running a local business, the bill also requires the Commerce Department to huddle with the Small Business Administration. They’ll be developing specific guides to help small shop owners understand how to use AI without getting burned by the costs or complexities that usually only big corporations can handle.
The Reality Check on Funding
While the bill is ambitious about what it wants to do—requiring annual reports to Congress and constant updates to materials—there is one major catch: Section 2(h) states that 'no additional funds are authorized' to be appropriated. This means the Department of Commerce has to find the money for this nationwide media blitz within their existing budget. For us, that means the effectiveness of the campaign depends entirely on how much the Department is willing to reshuffle their current chores to make room for this one. It’s a five-year plan with a clear expiration date, aiming to give us the 'street smarts' we need for an AI-driven world before the program wraps up for good.