AB2487 - Artificial intelligence: education and workforce development.

Amended IN Assembly March 19, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 2487 Introduced by Assembly Member Macedo Ahrens February 20, 2026 An act to amend Section 96114 of the Government Code, relating to academic volunteers. An act to add Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 11910) to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to artificial intelligence. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2487, as amended, Macedo Ahrens. California Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Act of 1992. Artificial intelligence: education and workforce development. Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one segment of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction at the campuses they operate and maintain. Existing law establishes the California Online Community College, under the administration of the board of governors, for specified purposes, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to build out student supports. This bill would enact the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act to accomplish specified goals, including, among others, empowering and supporting community college instructors in using and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly in administrative and classroom settings, and strengthening the state’s AI and technology workforce pipeline by upskilling and educating all workers so they can benefit from AI. This bill would require the California Community Colleges, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to, among other things, develop and disseminate to community college districts statewide guidance on the use of AI in community colleges, explore, facilitate, and support specified partnerships to develop and implement AI literacy and skills development initiatives, support the integration of AI literacy into the preparation and ongoing professional development of community college instructors, and establish a pilot program encouraging integration and adoption of AI tools in community college classrooms, as specified. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to submit a report to the Legislature based on findings provided by a working group convened by the California Community Colleges for this purpose that includes, among other things, a summary of barriers to support community college districts in providing and deploying cloud-based AI services into administrative or educational settings in community colleges, as specified. Existing law establishes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as “GO-Biz,” to, among other duties, serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within GO-Biz to advocate for causes of small business and to provide small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. This bill would require the Office of Small Business Advocate, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish and maintain for small businesses educational resources and modules containing information on specified topics related to AI, as provided. The bill would require the office, within one year following funding, to prepare and submit a progress report to the Legislature and other appropriate state officials and agencies summarizing its efforts in developing and publishing the educational resources and modules. The bill would require the office to convene an AI advisory group, with a prescribed membership, and consult with other state agencies and individuals, as specified, regarding the educational resources and modules. This bill would require GO-Biz, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and in close partnership with the California Community Colleges, to support training, reskilling, and upskilling initiatives for workers using AI or supporting the AI industry in order to bolster state economic competitiveness and maximize opportunities for the labor force. The bill would require GO-Biz, on or before January 1, 2029, and every 2 years thereafter, to submit a report to the Legislature and other appropriate state officials and agencies summarizing its efforts on the initiatives. This bill would also require GO-Biz, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish local AI training hubs, including physical or virtual centers that provide education and hands-on training in AI development and application for the purpose of building a skilled local workforce, as provided. The bill would require GO-Biz, upon appropriation by the Legislature and in coordination with other state agencies, to convene a working group to administer a statewide program to develop the skilled workforce to support infrastructure and energy requirements of the AI industry, as provided. The bill would authorize funding to be awarded through a competitive application process to local workforce development boards and other specified entities to deliver education and hands-on experience in AI data center operations, energy infrastructure, and other sectors, as provided. The bill would also require GO-Biz to undertake other specified duties related to workforce development. The California Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Act of 1992 creates the Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Program, administered by the office of the Governor, in order to provide academic support and guidance to each child who requires it, as provided. The act sets forth the intent of the Legislature that funding for purposes of the act be appropriated in the annual Budget Act, as provided. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the latter provision. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 11910) is added to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read: CHAPTER 13. Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act 11910. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act. 11911. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Artificial intelligence (AI) will have profound impacts on the economy, national security, education, and the future of work. (2) Equipping community college students, instructors, and workers with AI literacy and related skills is essential for the United States’ and the state’s workforce competitiveness. (3) Innovation and competitiveness in the age of AI requires a robust workforce, including workers trained in AI development, deployment, data labeling, and cybersecurity, and supporting infrastructure in energy, broadband, and high-performance computing. (4) The state must invest in future-ready pathways, including strengthened mathematics and science competency and career education and career technical education aligned to emerging technologies, with supporting coursework and resources. (5) Community colleges must adopt AI safely and equitably, with a commitment to protecting data privacy, promoting transparency, avoiding algorithmic discrimination, and ensuring that instructors and students are empowered and supported. (6) Instructors must lead AI integration. Instruction is most powerful when instructors have the training, time, and tools to deploy AI safely, responsibly, and confidently, beginning with administrative tasks and progressing to instructional uses as instructors determine appropriate. (7) AI, when implemented safely and responsibly, is a powerful tool for equity to ensure that every student can access the best instruction, regardless of their background, language, or disability. AI-powered supports remove barriers for historically underserved students. (8) States have begun issuing guidance for responsible AI integration in community colleges. (9) AI literacy requires modern infrastructure, including statewide broadband, modern classroom devices, secure networks, open educational resources, research capacity, privacy protections, and procurement systems that allow responsible innovation. (b) The purpose of this act is to accomplish all of the following goals: (1) Empowering and supporting community college instructors in using and deploying AI responsibly in administrative and classroom settings. (2) Preparing community college students for an AI-enabled world, and harnessing its beneficial uses. (3) Ensuring safe, ethical, privacy-preserving AI deployment in community college education. (4) Modernizing learning, promoting equitable access to AI tools, and supporting technology and its benefits. (5) Supporting lifelong learning and skilling initiatives that support the state’s economic competitiveness and labor force in the age of AI. (6) Strengthening the state’s AI and technology workforce pipeline by upskilling and educating all workers so they can benefit from AI. 11912. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) “Artificial intelligence” or “AI” means an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments. (b) “CalOSBA” means the California Office of Small Business Advocate created by subdivision (b) of Section 12098 within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development established in Section 12096.2. (c) “Data labeling” means the process of annotating datasets to enable machine learning models to identify and classify information. (d) “GO-Biz” means the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development established in Section 12096.2. (e) “STEM” means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 11913. (a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, the California Community Colleges shall develop and disseminate statewide guidance to community college districts on the use of AI in community colleges. (b) The guidance in subdivision (a) shall focus on all of the following: (1) Providing community college instructors and staff with the training, time, and tools to guide the use of AI within community college education safely and responsibly. (2) Harnessing the productivity benefits of AI for instructors and administrators, and prioritizing reduction of administrative burdens. (3) Complying with relevant rules and compliance requirements that address ethical and appropriate use in community college education, and the best uses of AI given current capabilities and features in the job market, focusing on reducing uncertainties and helping community colleges comply with state requirements. (4) Promoting an understanding of generative AI and its implications across academic subjects. (c) The California Community Colleges, to the extent possible and where appropriate, shall seek to align the guidance in subdivision (a) with existing frameworks, research, and guidance, including that of other states. 11914. (a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, the California Community Colleges shall fund, within existing resources, the development of model curriculum on AI for use in community colleges. (b) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, the California Community Colleges shall, within existing resources, collaborate with community college instructors to develop, and regularly update as appropriate, educational resources on AI in community colleges. These resources may reflect technological changes or pedagogical research. (c) The California Community Colleges shall post on its internet website the model curriculum and educational resources developed pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b). (d) The California Community Colleges shall consider mechanisms to make educational resources developed pursuant to subdivision (b) more accessible statewide at minimal cost to community college districts, which may include requiring these resources to be placed in the public domain or released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation, and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. (e) The California Community Colleges shall broadly encourage local adoption and awareness of the model curriculum and educational resources developed pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) by community college districts, and shall encourage local adoption into new or existing educational programs. 11915. (a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, the California Community Colleges shall explore, facilitate, and support partnerships between community college districts, career education and career technical education training providers, local workforce development boards, employers across technology and nontechnology sectors, and nonprofit and community-based organizations to develop and implement AI literacy and skills development initiatives. (b) Initiatives supported under subdivision (a) shall, to the extent practicable, be aligned with regional and statewide workforce needs, and may include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (1) Codesign of AI-related curriculum and work-based learning opportunities that prepare community college students for in-demand occupations. (2) Integration of AI tools into career education, career technical education, apprenticeships, and upskilling programs for incumbent workers. (3) Collaboration with small and medium-sized businesses, industry associations, and chambers of commerce to identify priority use cases and skill gaps. (c) Initiatives described in subdivision (a) shall include both of the following: (1) Reviewing successful AI literacy, education, and workforce training approaches from other states and countries, including public and private partnership models. (2) Supporting the launch of pilot programs consistent with this chapter to test, refine, and evaluate AI education and workforce training models. (d) AI providers and other participating employers in initiatives provided under this section are encouraged to provide reduced-cost or subsidized access to AI tools, instructional materials, and technical assistance to community college instructors, community college districts, and workforce training providers to enable research, testing, and program development. 11916. (a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]