In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is responding consistently with its historical approach to technological advancements. Before adopting AI-related compliance frameworks, the DOL is prioritizing workforce readiness for an AI-powered world. Aligned with the current administration’s policies, the DOL’s approach promotes innovation over restriction and guidance over enforcement, signaling a gradual evolution of the DOL’s AI-related policies and initiatives rather than a single regulatory action.
DOL’s Overall Strategy
Historically, the DOL has responded to major workforce shifts by first preparing workers and employers. In the 1950s and 1960s, the DOL responded to factory automation’s large-scale displacement of manufacturing workers with training and reskilling initiatives. In the 1970s, as manufacturing processes grew more complex and increasingly exposed workers to safety and health risks, the DOL first invested in education and training programs to mitigate risks before implementing compliance and enforcement mechanisms. In the 1990s, as the Internet and digital technologies advanced, the DOL modernized its public-facing systems and integrated digital tools into its existing employment and workforce programs to underscore accessibility to workers and employers.
The DOL is treating AI as another long-term structural shift requiring similar preparation. Under the AI Action Plan, issued by the White House in July 2025, the DOL was assigned several responsibilities in support of the United States achieving “global dominance” in AI. While maintaining flexibility as evidence reveals AI’s impact on the labor market, the department has since begun taking actions aligned with the White House’s directives as described below.
Establishing Foundational Principles
In February 2026, the DOL released its AI Literacy Framework with an accompanying notice directed at employers, workers, education and training providers, and state and local agencies. The framework outlines foundational skills that all workers need amid the “reindustrialization of America.”
Specifically, the framework promotes responsible and effective AI use by encouraging workers to understand how to generate AI outputs and thereafter critically evaluate the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated results.
Studying AI’s Impact
Although not yet launched, the DOL is anticipated to soon introduce the AI Workforce Research Hub, which will allow continuous analysis of AI’s effect on job creation, displacement, and wages. The department can then track labor market changes over time rather than relying on one-off studies or engaging in reactive policymaking. The hub is also intended to identify early workforce risks and forecast future changes, allowing the DOL to issue targeted guidance when needed. Additionally, the hub is intended to generate actionable insights that could influence how training programs are structured, how workforce development funding is allocated, or how regulators evaluate employer preparedness for AI-driven change.
This initiative signals that the DOL is entering an analytical phase. Employers can likewise use the hub’s data to assess workforce impact, evaluate workers’ skill needs, and demonstrate meaningful AI deployment.
Developing and Enhancing Education and Training Programs
The AI Action Plan named the DOL first as the lead on development and expansion of educational and training programs, establishing that this administration believes the department is integral to fulfilling its AI-related initiatives. As Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling reaffirmed on March 12, 2026, the DOL is committed to continued expansion of apprenticeship programs and incorporation of AI literacy into apprenticeship programs. By promoting AI-related apprenticeships as alternatives to traditional four-year degrees, the DOL is carrying out its responsibilities under America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age, released in August 2025 jointly by the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education.