New York State Artificial Intelligence Literacy Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (Proposed Legislation)

New York State Artificial Intelligence Literacy Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (Proposed Legislation) is sponsored by New York State Assembly (Proposed). This is a proposed competitive grant program to provide grants to public elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, institutions of higher education, and community organizations to support artificial intelligence literacy efforts.

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript ________________________________________________________________________ 2025-2026 Regular Sessions Introduced by M. of A.

TORRES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an arti- ficial intelligence literacy digital equity competitive grant program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings.

The legislature, as well as the United 4 States congress, finds that: 5 (1) Artificial intelligence is transformative technology. 6 (2) Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly ubiquitous making 7 artificial intelligence literacy important. 8 (3) Technological leadership in artificial intelligence is an economic 9 and national security imperative.

10 (4) Effective artificial intelligence literacy initiatives encompass 11 not only technical training but also comprehensive education about the 12 potential benefits and risks. 13 (5) Informed developers and consumers of artificial intelligence tech- 14 nologies can help mitigate risks and biases often found in systems that 15 use artificial intelligence.

16 (6) Basic artificial intelligence literacy is critical to ensuring 17 Americans have the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the economy 19 (7) Successful artificial intelligence literacy initiatives will 20 prepare Americans of all ages and technical backgrounds to safely navi- 21 gate artificial intelligence tools and artificial intelligence-enabled EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted.

1 (8) Communities most negatively impacted by artificial intelligence- 2 enabled technologies often have the least access to artificial intelli- 4 (9) Artificial intelligence literacy initiatives must engage stake- 5 holders and communities in all stages and specific outreach efforts 6 should be made for communities disproportionately impacted by the 7 digital divide, including minority and rural communities.

8 (10) Jobs for the Future survey found 58% believe that learning oppor- 9 tunities around artificial intelligence should be offered to workers, 10 53% believe such opportunities should be available to learners, 54% 11 believe they would feel more prepared for the future impact of artifi- 12 cial intelligence if they were given learning tools for it.

13 (11) As of 2018, the U.S. artificial intelligence workforce stood at 14 about 14,000,000 workers or 9% of employment. Demand for artificial 15 intelligence occupations is projected to grow twice as fast as for all 16 occupations in the U.S. 17 (12) In 2021, black students made up only 7. 5% of artificial intelli- 18 gence-related bachelor's degrees despite making up 14% of the popu- 19 lation.

Women account for 60% of college graduates and only 40% of STEM 20 graduates and 25% of artificial intelligence graduates. 21 (13) The need for a strong workforce of artificial intelligence work- 22 ers, as well an artificial intelligence-literate population, requires 23 investment in artificial intelligence literacy education.

24 (14) Artificial intelligence literacy must also encompass ethical and 25 responsible use of emerging technologies.

Preparing students from an 26 early age to critically engage with artificial intelligence is essential 27 for cultivating a digitally literate, civically informed, and work- 29 (15) Public investment in early-stage artificial intelligence educa- 30 tion will expand access to opportunity, foster equity, and ensure New 31 York remains at the forefront of technological leadership. 32 § 3.

The education law is amended by adding a new section 115 to read 34 § 115. Artificial intelligence literacy in the digital equity compet- 35 itive grant program. 1.

Definitions. As used in this section, the 36 following terms shall mean: 37 a. "Artificial intelligence system" or "AI system" means a machine- 38 based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the 39 input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, 40 recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual 41 environments.

AI systems vary in their levels of autonomy and adaptive- 42 ness after deployment. 43 b. "Artificial intelligence literacy" means the skills associated with 44 the ability to comprehend the basic principles, concepts, and applica- 45 tions of artificial intelligence, as well as the implications, limita- 46 tions and ethical considerations associated with the use of artificial 48 c.

"Community organization" means not-for-profit community organiza- 49 tions, other than a school, community college or institution of higher 50 education, which offer free educational programs to the general public. 51 d. "Artificial intelligence literacy grant program" or "program" means 52 the artificial intelligence literacy digital equity competitive grant 53 program established under subdivision two of this section.

54 e. "Academic institution" means any public elementary or secondary 55 school, community college, or institution of higher education authorized 56 to operate in the state of New York and recognized by the New York State 1 Education Department or the Board of Regents, which provides formal 2 instructional programs that culminate in a diploma, certificate, or 4 f.

"Community college" means any institution of higher education with- 5 in the state university of New York or city university of New York 6 systems that is authorized to confer associate degrees and is defined as 7 a community college pursuant to article one hundred twenty-six of this 9 g.

"Institution of higher education" shall mean any postsecondary 10 educational institution within the state of New York that is authorized 11 by regents or the department to confer bachelor's, master's, doctoral, 12 or professional degrees and is not defined as a community college under 14 h. "Public elementary and secondary schools" shall include charter 15 schools authorized pursuant to article fifty-six of this chapter.

For 16 the purposes of this section, charter schools shall be treated as public 17 schools to the extent they provide elementary or secondary education 18 consistent with their charter and meet the eligibility requirements set 19 forth by the commissioner. 20 2. Artificial intelligence literacy digital equity competitive grant 21 program.

a. The commissioner shall establish an artificial intelligence 22 literacy digital equity competitive grant program which shall provide 23 grants to public elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, 24 institutions of higher education, and community organizations to support 25 artificial intelligence literacy efforts. 26 b.

The program shall be structured as a competitive grant process.

In 27 awarding grants, the commissioner shall prioritize applicants that 29 (i) high level of need, as determined by factors including, but not 30 limited to, lack of access to computer science education, a high 31 percentage of students or community members from low-income households, 32 limited technological infrastructure, or geographic barriers to digital 34 (ii) A strong and clearly articulated proposal, including specific 35 goals, strategies, and implementation plans for expanding access to 36 artificial intelligence literacy and addressing equity in digital educa- 38 c.

All proposals submitted under this section shall include: 39 (i) A demonstration of need, including quantitative and qualitative 40 data describing the applicant's existing access to artificial intelli- 41 gence literacy resources and technological infrastructure.

42 (ii) Clearly defined and measurable objectives, including the antic- 43 ipated number of individuals reached if the grant is fully implemented, 44 and relevant success metrics. 45 (iii) A detailed plan outlining how the funds would be used if the 46 applicant is awarded the full amount requested. 47 d.

The commissioner shall also establish criteria for the development 48 and submission of grant applications and proposals and for the selection 49 of recipients of grants from the program. Such criteria shall include 50 provisions to ensure geographic diversity, demographic equity, and 51 accountability in the use of grant funds. 52 e.

To ensure equitable distribution of funding, the total amount 53 appropriated for the program shall be allocated as follows: 54 (i) Thirty percent to public elementary and secondary schools. 55 (ii) Twenty percent to community colleges. 56 (iii) Fifteen percent to public institutions of higher education.

1 (iv) Five percent to private institutions of higher education. 2 (v) Thirty percent to community organizations. 3 f.

Such program shall provide grants to public elementary and second- 4 ary schools to be used for: 5 (i) providing teachers training and certification to support artifi- 6 cial intelligence literacy efforts in schools.

7 (ii) facilitating attendance of teachers at professional development 8 courses, workshops, and conferences related to artificial intelligence 9 education, including professional development related to artificial 10 intelligence course design and fee-based professional development.

11 (iii) for schools without resources for computer science education, 12 developing and designing best practices for computer science materials 13 needed for artificial intelligence education. 14 (iv) supporting partnerships with the private sector to facilitate 15 artificial intelligence education. 16 (v) equipping schools with labs to provide students hands-on artifi- 17 cial intelligence learning experiences.

18 (vi) developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and 19 individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities. 20 (vii) developing programs that prepare students for further studies or 21 future careers in artificial intelligence or related fields. 22 (viii) providing foundational artificial intelligence literacy 23 instruction tailored to grade level.

24 g. provide grants to community colleges to be used for one or more of 26 (i) developing and implementing an interdisciplinary literacy program 27 with respect to artificial intelligence for non-traditional learners, 28 including through partnerships with non-profit educational organiza- 30 (ii) developing labs to provide students hands-on artificial intelli- 31 gence learning experiences.

32 (iii) developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and 33 individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities. 34 h. provide grants to institutions of higher education to be used for: 35 (i) developing labs to provide students hands-on artificial intelli- 36 gence learning experiences.

37 (ii) developing virtual learning platforms that facilitate remote and 38 individualized artificial intelligence education opportunities. 39 (iii) developing programming and pedagogical tools with respect to 40 artificial intelligence education and instruction for the benefit of 41 elementary and secondary school teachers and community educators.

42 (iv) developing programs that prepare participants to use artificial 43 intelligence tools in the workplace, including sector-specific applica- 45 i.

provide grants to community organizations to be used for one or 46 more of the following: 47 (i) providing training and certification with respect to artificial 48 intelligence education and instruction to employees of the community 50 (ii) developing and implementing artificial intelligence learning 51 experiences and educational programming to the community served by the 52 community organizations.

53 (iii) offering programming to support adult learners and jobseekers in 54 understanding and applying artificial intelligence in the workforce, 55 particularly in high-growth or digitally transforming industries. 1 j.

require any entity which is awarded a grant under the program to 2 submit a report to the commissioner on or before July first of each year 3 for four years following the grant being awarded which shall include, 5 (i) the number of administrators and teachers trained or scheduled for 7 (ii) the number of schools that have implemented this program across 9 (iii) the number of students reached, and at which grade level.

10 (iv) disaggregated data based on race, ethnicity, county, and school. 11 (v) prospective timeline to reach all schools. 12 (vi) the amount of the grant.

13 (vii) the use of grant amounts. 14 (viii) the progress of the entity towards fulfilling the objectives 15 for which the grant was awarded. 16 3.

Metrics and evaluation. The department shall develop and implement 17 a standardized framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the artifi- 18 cial intelligence literacy grant program. Such framework shall include, 19 but not be limited to: 20 a.

Measurement of student learning outcomes related to artificial 21 intelligence concepts, competencies, and digital fluency. 22 b. Participation rates in artificial intelligence literacy programs 23 disaggregated by grade level, demographic group, and institution type.

24 c. Evaluation of how and to what extent artificial intelligence liter- 25 acy content has been integrated into existing school curricula or commu- 27 d. Longitudinal tracking of participants' engagement with further 28 education or career pathways related to artificial intelligence and 30 4.

Grant administration. a. The commissioner shall award grants under 31 the artificial intelligence literacy grant program and shall administer 32 the program in consultation with relevant offices within the department.

33 b. The department shall establish procedures for the application, 34 review, approval, distribution, and monitoring of grant awards, includ- 35 ing clear guidance on timelines, eligibility, documentation, and 37 c. The commissioner shall ensure that all grant funds are distributed 38 in a timely and transparent manner, with priority given to advancing 39 educational equity and digital access in underserved communities.

40 d. The department shall provide technical assistance to applicants and 41 grantees to support strong proposal development, compliance with program 42 requirements, and effective implementation. 43 e.

The department shall have authority to conduct audits, inspections, 44 or program evaluations of grantees and may recapture or reallocate funds 45 not used in accordance with the terms of the grant. 46 f. All grantees shall comply with state reporting requirements and 47 participate in department-led evaluations as a condition of receiving 49 5.

Reports. On or before January first next succeeding the effective 50 date of this section and each January first thereafter, the commissioner 51 shall submit a report to the governor, the temporary president of the 52 senate, the speaker of the assembly, and the chairs of the senate and 53 assembly education committees and higher education committees which 54 shall include, but not be limited to: 1 a.

summarizing and analyzing the reports submitted to the commissioner 2 for that year and information on such reports required under paragraph j 3 of subdivision two of this section; 4 b. summarizing the metrics established under subdivision three of this 6 c. recommending improvements to the program.

7 6. Rules and regulations. The commissioner shall have the authority to 8 establish rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this 10 § 4.

This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 11 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any 12 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its 13 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such