Building an AI-Ready America

AI in Education and WorkforceHouse Education and Workforce · 2026-01-14 · 119th Congress
The House Committee on Education and Workforce held this hearing to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping K-12 and higher education, hiring practices, and the broader labor market, and what federal role — if any — is warranted in setting guardrails. Begins at 0:04:20
Transcript
Highlights

Title

AI's impact on classrooms, hiring, and the future of work

Purpose

The House Committee on Education and Workforce held this hearing to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping K-12 and higher education, hiring practices, and the broader labor market, and what federal role — if any — is warranted in setting guardrails. Four witnesses testified: OpenAI's Chaya Nayak on AI certifications and jobs platforms, Magic School AI's Adeel Khan on classroom use, the Center for Democracy & Technology's Alexandra Reeve Givens on discrimination and privacy risks, and University of Texas Law fellow Kevin Frazier on labor-market data and the "portfolio economy." Members split largely along party lines over whether to prioritize deregulation and AI adoption or stronger civil-rights and privacy protections. Begins at0:04:20

Who spoke

Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI)0:04:20: Opened by noting generative AI could affect roughly 40% of GDP0:05:38 and argued policy should avoid "sweeping new rules" while modernizing independent-work standards for the 70 million self-employed Americans0:07:09; closed by urging a "light touch" approach0:52:122:51:48.

Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA)0:08:36: Warned AI hiring tools show bias against women and Black applicants per SHRM data0:11:05, criticized Trump administration cuts to the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights and Office of Education Technology0:12:23, and cited a December executive order aimed at blocking state AI regulation0:15:36; later pressed witnesses on disparate-impact enforcement and accountability for discriminatory off-the-shelf hiring software2:44:56.

Chaya Nayak, OpenAI0:18:46: Described OpenAI's goal to certify 10 million Americans by 20300:21:37 and launch a jobs platform matching certified workers to employers0:22:02; said workers with AI skills can earn up to 50% more0:20:43 and that certifications will be built to evolve alongside model capabilities1:45:10.

Adeel Khan, Magic School AI0:22:57: Said over 7 million educators use Magic School worldwide0:23:23 and argued AI should strengthen, not shortcut, teacher judgment0:24:01; later addressed a Common Sense Media finding of racial bias in Magic School's behavior-intervention tools, saying the company could not replicate the findings but requested the underlying data1:31:10.

Alexandra Reeve Givens, Center for Democracy & Technology0:27:33: Cited CDT survey data that 85% of teachers and 86% of students used generative AI last school year0:30:14, that 42% of students used AI for mental-health support0:31:02, and that federal agency guidance on AI hiring discrimination has been removed from EEOC, DOJ, DOL, and NLRB websites0:30:14; discussed the Workday hiring-discrimination litigation and the need for disparate-impact protections2:15:15.

Kevin Frazier, University of Texas Law School0:32:43: Predicted a shift to a "portfolio economy" driven by labor-market "fissuring," noting Gen Z workers average just 1.1 years in a job1:06:02; presented data showing productivity up ~90% over 50 years while real wages rose only ~30%1:07:29; opposed a "robot tax" on employers adopting AI2:07:05.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT)0:41:22: Highlighted that tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children rose from 6,800 in 2024 to 440,000 in the first half of 20250:41:49, and pressed Reeve Givens on company accountability, citing the Take It Down Act and the newly Senate-passed Defiance Act0:43:17.

Committee member from South Carolina (Lexington district)0:46:57: Asked Khan how to prevent AI from diminishing students' critical thinking and how to protect minors' data0:47:20.

Rep. Bonamici (D-OR)0:52:30: Promoted her bipartisan No Robot Bosses Act (HR 6371)0:54:06 and pressed on the need for AI literacy grounded in ethics, humanities, and linguistics0:54:30.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)0:58:27: Asked Nayak about misconceptions on AI's speed of job displacement0:59:01 and about durable skills workers will need1:00:23.

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)1:03:51: Questioned Frazier on labor "fissuring" and gig-ification of work1:04:19 and entered an AFSCME letter on wage-productivity disparities into the record1:08:05.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)1:10:08: Questioned witnesses on what determines credential value and expressed concern about political viewpoint bias in AI outputs1:14:23.

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA)1:15:48: Described AI use by Georgia kindergartners and asked Reeve Givens which sectors face the greatest displacement risk, citing a Brookings estimate that 30% of workers could see 50% of tasks disrupted1:20:04.

Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA)1:21:34: Asked Nayak about credential transferability across industries1:22:01 and Khan for parental advice on AI use at home1:23:20.

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA)1:27:24: Pressed on algorithmic bias in hiring tools, noting nearly 90% of companies use AI for candidate screening1:29:09, and questioned Khan directly on the Common Sense Media bias findings1:31:10.

Committee member (vice chairman; subcommittee chair, Higher Education & Workforce Development)1:33:02: Highlighted the Department of Education's Connecting Talents for Opportunity Challenge1:33:13 and asked about interoperable learning-employment records1:33:41.

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)1:38:05: Asked about uneven faculty/student AI adoption in higher education, citing a survey that fewer than half of faculty use AI tools1:39:26, and about automated employment-decision tools1:41:17.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA)1:43:46: Asked Nayak how certifications keep pace with rapidly changing models1:44:12 and both Nayak and Khan for a five-year vision of AI in education1:46:44.

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)1:49:35: Cited Pew data that one in five Americans could be displaced by AI and RAND findings that adolescents seek mental-health advice from chatbots1:50:03; raised "ghost jobs" and algorithmic resume screening1:51:21.

Rep. from Missouri, Mr. Ander1:55:40: Cited a New York Times teacher quote on students giving up faster and a Brookings study warning of a "doom loop" of AI dependence harming cognitive development1:57:34.

Committee member, educator from Connecticut (Mrs.)2:00:48: A former classroom teacher, questioned the added burden of AI professional development on already-stretched teachers and asked what training would most help educators2:03:22.

Rep. Andy Harris (R-NC)2:06:16: Argued a "robot tax" is poorly targeted and asked Frazier to explain his opposition2:06:39; asked Khan about the White House AI Education Task Force and America's AI Action Plan2:08:55.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva's successor, Ms. Grijalva (D-AZ)2:10:57: Raised IP exploitation, environmental costs of AI, and Tucson's community rejection of a data-center proposal2:11:27; asked about federal investment in community-college AI certificate programs and the Workday discrimination litigation2:12:21.

Rep. Fine (R-FL)2:16:41: Relayed his son's perspective as a student user of AI tools and asked how to keep beneficial classroom AI accessible while blocking smartphone distractions2:17:12; questioned Khan on AI-assisted grading safeguards2:19:44.

Committee member from Illinois (Ms.)2:22:02: Asked Khan about risks of students forming inappropriate relationships with chatbots2:23:23 and Nayak about workforce-development policy2:25:26.

Committee member, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee (Pennsylvania)2:27:23: Asked Khan about AI's role in special-education and IEP support2:27:46 and Nayak about career and technical education2:32:04.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY)2:33:26: Highlighted a $900 million DOE uranium-enrichment task order in Paducah, Kentucky, and asked how AI-driven industries can create jobs there2:34:16.

Delegate from Guam2:38:11: Asked how rural and territorial communities can avoid being left behind in AI workforce development2:38:59.

Key moments

Nayak said OpenAI's certifications aim to close the "capability overhang" — the gap between what AI can do and what workers actually use — with a goal of certifying 10 million Americans by 20300:19:580:21:37.

Reeve Givens testified that an AI video job interview conducted entirely in German still scored the applicant a 73% match for the position, illustrating opaque and unreliable hiring assessments0:29:10.

Courtney and Reeve Givens discussed the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline reports rising from about 6,800 in 2024 to roughly 440,000 in just the first half of 20250:41:49.

Reeve Givens said federal guidance from the EEOC, DOJ, DOL, and NLRB on lawful AI use in hiring has been removed from those agencies' websites0:30:14.

Lee pressed Khan on a Common Sense Media finding of racial bias in Magic School's AI-generated behavior-intervention plans for students; Khan said the company could not replicate the finding but requested Common Sense's underlying data and continues to review the tool1:31:10.

Frazier presented a chart showing U.S. labor productivity rising nearly 90% over 50 years while real hourly compensation rose only about 30%, warning AI could widen that gap absent labor-law updates1:07:29.

Frazier described "fissuring" — large firms spinning off functions to subsidiary contractors — as a trend AI will accelerate, alongside a Gen Z average job tenure of just 1.1 years1:04:471:06:02.

DeSaulnier cited a Pew finding that one in five Americans could be displaced by AI and a RAND study on adolescents seeking mental-health advice from chatbots, and raised the prevalence of "ghost jobs" filtered by hiring algorithms1:50:031:51:21.

CDT's survey data showed 85% of teachers and 86% of students used generative AI last school year, with 42% of students reporting using AI for mental-health support or as a companion0:30:140:31:02.

Nayak said roughly 40% of small businesses already report using AI, and cited Harvard research that a ChatGPT-integrated physics course doubled student engagement1:59:332:42:25.

Metadata

CommitteeHouse Education and Workforce
Chamber / CongressHouse · 119th Congress
Date2026-01-14
TypeHearing
Witnesses
Ms. Chaya Nayak — Head of Certifications and Jobs Platform, OpenAI
Mr. Adeel Khan — Founder & CEO, MagicSchool AI
Ms. Alexandra Givens — President & CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology
Mr. Kevin Frazier — AI Innovation & Law Fellow, University of Texas Law School
Videoyoutube
Transcript411 caption blocks · 28,709 words · 2:55:15 runtime
EventCongress.gov 118819