Bipartisan, bicameral bill looks to help the government hire more AI talent

The proposal follows the exodus of hundreds of thousands government employees — including AI and tech talent — under the Trump administration’s push to shrink the government workforce.

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday meant to modernize how the government hires technical talent, especially those specializing in artificial intelligence.

The AI Talent Act would establish agency tech and AI talent teams meant to improve recruiting, assessments and job announcements, as well as a central team at the Office of Personnel Management to lead pooled hiring efforts and provide support to agencies. Agencies would be allowed to share lists of qualified candidates and technical assessments.

Lawmakers are also looking to boost skills-based hiring in government, where hiring managers vet candidates for specific skills instead of looking to their educational degrees and previous experience to decide if they’re qualified for the job. 

Both the first Trump administration and the ...