As competition with China intensifies, Washington is turning to a cornerstone of American soft power and diplomacy to expand its global influence in artificial intelligence: the Peace Corps.
The White House on Friday announced the “Tech Corps” initiative within the Peace Corps aimed at promoting American AI abroad and helping partner nations adopt cutting-edge systems.
The Peace Corps is an independent U.S. government agency that sends American volunteers abroad to support local development projects, including in education, health, agriculture and economic growth.
The new Tech Corps will be structured similarly but will recruit, train, and deploy volunteers with tech skills, including engineers and graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to provide “last-mile” support for the implementation of American AI solutions abroad, particularly at the application layer.
A website for the Tech Corps has launched and is accepting applications, which it says will be accepted on a rolling basis.
