The U.S. Department of Labor’s newly released AI Literacy Framework is a meaningful signal: workforce adaptation to artificial intelligence is no longer a theoretical discussion — it is a policy priority.
Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is right to emphasize that American workers should share in the prosperity AI can generate. From the vantage point of the CHRO Association — representing nearly 400 of the largest employers operating in the United States and globally — the central question is not whether AI will change work. It already is. The question is whether our national workforce strategy will keep pace.
What Employers Are Seeing on the Ground
Our member companies collectively employ millions of Americans across every major sector of the economy. They are not waiting for AI to arrive — they are actively deploying it.
What we are hearing consistently from Chief Human Resource Officers:
- AI is redesigning jobs more often than eliminating them.
- Productivity gains are emerging, but they require training to unlock.
- Demand is rising for hybrid roles — combining AI fluency with deep domain expertise.
- Frontline managers need as much AI literacy as technical teams.
The DOL framework’s emphasis on contextual, hands-on learning and pairing AI skills with human judgment aligns closely with what employers are already building internally. AI literacy cannot be confined to technical staff; it must become baseline workforce infrastructure.
National Alignment Matters
The framework also arrives in the context of a broader Administration push to shape workforce adaptation to AI, including efforts to expand training pathways under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). At the same time, President Donald Trump has taken steps to limit state-level AI regulation, seeking to avoid a fragmented patchwork of rules.
From an employer perspective, consistency is critical. Large, multi-state companies cannot operationalize fifty different AI compliance regimes. A coherent national approach — one that balances innovation with worker protection — is essential for scalable workforce training.
The Data Question
A bipartisan group of economists, including former Federal Reserve Chairs Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke, recently urged the Department of Labor to strengthen data collection on AI’s labor market impacts. Their concern is well-founded.
Federal labor market metrics were not designed to track rapid job redesign, task reallocation, and skills transformation driven by AI. Employers are navigating these shifts in real time. Policymakers need better data to ensure training dollars, workforce grants, and regulatory frameworks are aligned with actual labor market dynamics.
What CHROs Need from Policymakers
The CHRO community is prepared to lead. But effective public-private collaboration requires clarity and partnership. Based on our ongoing engagement with members and policymakers, several priorities stand out:
1. Focus on Augmentation, Not Alarmism
Public discourse often defaults to job loss narratives. Employers are far more focused on job transformation and internal mobility. Federal workforce messaging should reinforce this distinction.
2. Modernize Training Pathways
AI-related reskilling should be embedded in existing workforce programs, including WIOA, apprenticeships, and employer-led training partnerships. Rigid program requirements must evolve to accommodate competency-based learning and rapidly changing skill demands.
3. Avoid Regulatory Fragmentation
A predictable regulatory environment enables investment in AI tools and workforce development. Uncertainty slows both innovation and hiring.
4. Prioritize Ethical and Responsible Deployment
The framework’s emphasis on responsible use, bias mitigation, and data security is essential. Employers are building governance structures internally; federal guidance should reinforce, not duplicate, those efforts.
A Shared Responsibility
AI literacy is not about teaching employees how to use a single tool. It is about preparing the workforce to operate in a technology-augmented environment — responsibly, securely, and competitively.
The Department of Labor’s framework is a constructive starting point. But the scale of the challenge requires sustained collaboration among employers, educators, and policymakers.
The CHRO Association stands ready to provide real-world employer insight as federal leaders evaluate how AI is reshaping the workplace. Workforce policy must reflect operational reality. If we align effectively, AI can strengthen — not destabilize — the American labor market.
