The Federal Government Just Went All-In on AI Readiness. We’ve Been Building the Playbook.
A roundup of the Make America AI-Ready campaign — and why ETA’s model is already leading the way.
By Zack Huhn | Co-Founder & National Director, Enterprise Technology Association
March 25, 2026
This week, the federal government made its boldest coordinated move yet to prepare the American workforce for artificial intelligence. In the span of 48 hours, the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation launched major new initiatives under the banner of “Make America AI-Ready” — a campaign that signals a fundamental shift in how Washington is thinking about AI’s impact on working Americans.
At the Enterprise Technology Association, we’ve been saying for years that AI readiness is not a coastal luxury — it’s an American necessity. These announcements don’t just validate that belief. They describe a national infrastructure that looks remarkably like what we’ve already been building on the ground.
Here’s what happened, what it means, and where the opportunities are.
The Department of Labor: AI Literacy by Text Message
On March 24, the Department of Labor launched “Make America AI-Ready,” a free AI literacy course that any American worker can access by texting READY to 20202. The program delivers bite-sized AI lessons and daily challenges entirely via text message over seven days, requiring just ten minutes a day. No laptop required. No internet connection needed. Just a phone.
The initiative was developed through a public-private partnership between DOL and education technology company Arist, a participant in the White House’s Pledge to America’s Youth. The course content aligns directly with the DOL’s AI Literacy Framework, released in February, which defines five foundational content areas:
understanding AI principles, exploring AI uses, directing AI effectively, evaluating AI outputs, and using AI responsibly.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer framed the initiative as a commitment to ensuring every American worker can benefit from AI-driven economic growth. Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling emphasized that the program is designed to demystify AI for workers who may feel uncertain or fearful about the technology —
meeting them where they are, literally on their phones.
This is significant. The federal government is acknowledging that AI literacy cannot be delivered exclusively through traditional classroom settings or corporate training programs. It has to reach people in their daily lives, on devices they already use, in formats that don’t demand hours of uninterrupted time. That’s a design philosophy
we share.
The National Science Foundation: AI-Ready Coordination Hubs in Every State
Today, March 25, the National Science Foundation announced an even more ambitious initiative: NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America. This program aims to establish AI-Ready Coordination Hubs in every U.S. state and territory — up to 56 in total — funded at up to $1 million per hub annually over three years.
The initiative is a multi-agency effort. NSF is partnering with the Department of Labor, the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Small Business Administration to close the gap between the nation’s AI capabilities and the workforce, businesses, and communities that need access to them.
The program targets three critical areas: expanding AI literacy and applied skills across the American workforce; equipping small businesses and local governments with tools and technical assistance to adopt AI; and building hands-on learning pathways — including internships and project-based programs — that translate AI
skills into real-world application.
Each Coordination Hub will connect local partners, coordinate deployment of AI readiness resources, and scale proven approaches based on state and local priorities. NSF plans to select hubs through three rounds of competition, with the first round of responses due June 23, 2026. An informational webinar is scheduled for April 14 at 1:00 PM EDT.
This is the kind of distributed, place-based infrastructure that the AI readiness ecosystem has desperately needed. And it’s informed by the AI-Ready America Workshop convened by NSF and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which brought together roughly 100 experts who identified the exact barriers ETA has been working to overcome: fragmented programs, under-resourced intermediaries, and the absence of coordination infrastructure at the state level.
The Broader Policy Context: A National AI Legislative Framework
These workforce initiatives sit within a larger policy push. On March 20, the White House unveiled a National AI Legislative Framework built on several pillars, including one focused specifically on educating Americans and developing an AI- ready workforce. The framework calls on Congress to expand workforce development and skills training programs and create new pathways for Americans to participate in AI-driven economic growth.
Together, these actions — the DOL’s AI Literacy Framework in February, the Make America AI-Ready text course on March 24, the White House’s legislative framework on March 20, and NSF’s AI-Ready America hubs announced today — represent the most concentrated federal investment in AI workforce readiness we’ve seen. The
message is clear: the administration views AI literacy and adoption as a national competitiveness issue, not just a tech sector concern.
Why This Matters: ETA Has Already Started Building This Model
I want to be direct about something: the model the federal government is now describing at national scale is one we at the Enterprise Technology Association have already begun to prove in practice.
Through our AI Ready Ohio program, built in partnership with JobsOhio, we have been delivering in-person AI readiness training to Americans in communities across the state — from Greater Cincinnati to Columbus to Toledo. We designed our curriculum around the same principles the DOL’s framework now codifies: experiential learning, applied skills development, meeting people where they are, and building pathways from foundational literacy to deeper capability. Our trainers work directly with workers, businesses, and community organizations on the
ground.
And Ohio is just the beginning. ETA delivers AI-ready training to Americans across the country, both in person and virtually, through our national conference series, our National AI Accelerator, and our expanding network of state-level partnerships. We’ve mapped the expansion strategy across all 50 states, identified priority regions, and built the operational infrastructure — from trainer selection SOPs to curriculum development frameworks — to scale this work nationally.
When NSF describes the need for state-based Coordination Hubs that connect local partners, coordinate AI readiness deployment, and scale proven approaches based on community priorities, they are describing the role ETA was built to play. When DOL emphasizes that AI literacy training must reach workers who are uncertain
about AI, in accessible formats, embedded in real-world context, they are describing training we are already delivering.
This isn’t a pivot for us. It’s alignment. The federal government has arrived at the same conclusion we reached years ago: that AI readiness is an American priority, that it must be delivered through trusted local infrastructure, and that the heartland — not just the coasts — is where this work matters most.
Key Opportunities and Dates
For American Workers:
Text READY to 20202 to enroll in the free DOL Make America AI-Ready literacy course. Seven days, ten minutes a day, entirely by text message.
For Organizations and Institutions:
The NSF AI-Ready America Coordination Hub funding opportunity is now open. Proposals are due June 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT. Register for the informational webinar on April 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT to learn more about requirements and expectations.
For Employers and Workforce Boards:
Review the DOL’s AI Literacy Framework, released February 13, 2026, as voluntary guidance for designing and evaluating AI training programs. Stakeholders can provide feedback by contacting aiworkforce@dol.gov.
For Partners and Collaborators:
If you’re interested in how ETA is building AI readiness infrastructure nationally, or
want to explore partnership opportunities aligned with these federal initiatives,
reach out to us. This is the moment to move.
The Bottom Line
The Make America AI-Ready campaign represents a turning point. The federal government is no longer just talking about AI workforce readiness — it’s funding it, structuring it, and building the institutional infrastructure to deliver it at scale.
At ETA, we welcome this moment. We’ve been building toward it. And we’re ready to help lead the way — because making America AI-ready isn’t a slogan. It’s the work we do every day.
Zack Huhn is Co-Founder and National Director of the Enterprise Technology Association (ETA), a national organization focused on AI education, enablement, and ecosystem building across the United States. ETA’s programs include AI Ready Ohio, the US AI Congress, AI Week regional conferences, and the National AI Accelerator
