Issue Brief
June 1, 2026 • 11:36 am ET
Trisha Ray
Winning in AI requires developing technical skills, strong public institutions, and programs to support workforce transitions. The United States’ AI leadership depends on three imperatives: developing homegrown talent from grades K–12 through graduate education; attracting the world’s best researchers and builders; and adapting the existing workforce, including that inside government, to function effectively in an AI-driven economy. Together, these imperatives will define whether the United States can maintain its technological edge.
Put simply: sustaining US leadership in AI depends on the American people. This includes a full-spectrum talent strategy that develops world-class domestic talent, attracts the best global innovators, and continually integrates and upskills the existing workforce to keep pace with rapid technological change. In April 2025, the White House Executive Order Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth made AI literacy a core US policy goal and serves as a baseline.
