July 14, 2025 | Foreign Policy
America Can’t Lead in AI by Firing All the Experts
Sacking specialists and cutting federal funding only helps adversaries and competitors.
July 14, 2025 | Foreign Policy
America Can’t Lead in AI by Firing All the Experts
Sacking specialists and cutting federal funding only helps adversaries and competitors.
Excerpt
The United States is caught in a growing paradox. Just as artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key focus of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, the administration’s efforts to create a leaner federal government have forced out hundreds of technology specialists, many of them uniquely skilled in AI policy, engineering, and design.
Among the most affected have been key innovation offices: The U.S. Digital Service and the General Service Administration’s 18F office have been effectively dismantled, while the Department of Homeland Security’s AI Corps, the U.S. Digital Corps, the Presidential Innovation Fellowship, and other programs have been significantly cut. This growing loss of talent undermines the very priorities that the Trump administration seeks to advance, including maintaining the United States’ lead in AI.
Leah Siskind is a research fellow for artificial intelligence at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.