TEN 07-25 — DOL Gives the Public Workforce System an AI Literacy Framework
DOL’s framework gives WDBs, AJCCs, colleges, apprenticeship partners, and employers a shared definition of baseline AI literacy: five content areas and seven delivery principles that can be embedded into existing workforce services.
Feb. 13, 2026
Active
5 areas
7 principles
Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: USDOL TEN 07-25.
Check result: TEN 07-25 is active federal guidance issued February 13, 2026. DOL’s AI Literacy Framework is voluntary guidance for program design, with five foundational content areas and seven delivery principles. It encourages expanded AI literacy across workforce and education systems but does not create a new mandatory WIOA service or credential. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
The bottom line
DOL is defining a floor, not a complete occupation-specific curriculum.
The framework treats AI literacy as a baseline set of competencies for using and evaluating AI responsibly, with primary emphasis on generative AI. DOL explicitly says many roles will require deeper skills beyond this foundation.
DOL encourages workforce and education systems to expand AI education and use the framework as a program-design resource. It is guidance, not a mandatory curriculum.
The five foundational content areas
What an AI-literate worker should be able to do.
Know capabilities, limitations, probabilistic outputs, hallucinations, and the role of human oversight.
Recognize practical workplace applications and where AI can augment human work.
Provide context, clear instructions, relevant inputs, and iterate on results.
Verify facts, assess completeness, and apply human judgment.
Protect sensitive data, follow workplace rules, and remain accountable for decisions and outputs.
The seven delivery principles
How DOL thinks AI literacy should be taught.
Use real tools and real tasks.
Tie learning to occupations, sectors, and actual workflows.
Pair AI with judgment, creativity, communication, and domain expertise.
Address digital literacy, device, broadband, and readiness barriers.
Create visible paths from literacy to occupation-specific proficiency.
Train managers, instructors, career counselors, and peer champions.
Refresh content as tools and labor-market expectations change.
Operational considerations for WDBs
Use the framework as a quality screen before buying or building AI training.
Identify where foundational AI literacy can fit into job search, career navigation, digital-skills, and incumbent-worker services.
Translate “AI skills” into specific tools, workflows, and expected levels of proficiency.
Counselors need enough literacy to discuss AI’s role in occupations and guide customers to appropriate next steps.
Foundational literacy should lead somewhere: advanced use, technical training, or role-specific application.
Do not lock a rapidly changing topic into a multi-year static curriculum without an update process.
A simple procurement test for AI-literacy training
Does it cover all five foundational areas?
Does it use tasks relevant to the learner’s work?
Can the target population realistically participate?
Is there a next step beyond introductory literacy?
Source authority
The framework is the controlling reference for this brief.
TEN 07-25 — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework
Make America AI-Ready · a DOL example of foundational AI-literacy delivery.
The procurement screen and local implementation actions are practical aids and do not create additional federal requirements.
Rewritten in the Wonkery Way format with the full five-area/seven-principle framework translated into WDB program-design and procurement decisions.
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