By MEGAN LAMBERT
DoD clearly has recognized artificial intelligence (AI) as the next game-changer in military competition, with the Pentagon and the services pouring money into numerous development programs. Indeed, mastering AI and machine learning will be crucial to the new way of war envisioned by Pentagon leadership: Multi-Domain Operations. But the US government may be shooting itself in the foot by overlooking a key problem: a lack of American AI specialists, argues Megan Lamberth co-author of “The American AI Century: A Blueprint for Action,” a new report from the Center for New American Security.
The United States is engaged in a global technology competition in artificial intelligence. But while the US government has shown commitment to developing AI systems that will positively transform the American economy and national security, the country has neglected its most important resource: talent. Talent is the bedrock of technological advancement in AI.
While some of these needed experts are US-born, high-skilled immigrants are an indispensable component of America’s technological ecosystem. In a new report from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), “The American AI Century: A Blueprint for Action,” my colleagues and I explain why the US needs international talent for continued AI innovation, and provide recommendations for how the country can attract and retain the best AI talent in the world.
Exact numbers vary, but a clear shortage of AI talent exists. While the US is working to develop a more robust indigenous STEM talent base, it will take decades to develop a new generation of American-born AI engineers and technologists. Immigrants are, and will remain, an invaluable source of innovation in the United States.
Despite this need for international talent in AI, current immigration pathways for high-skilled immigrants are often cumbersome, time consuming and expensive. One such pathway—the H-1B visa program—is a popular method of recruitment for US technology companies. Established in 1990, the H-1B program was originally created as a short-term solution to address shortages in specialized labor markets. But as the ‘Internet Age’ erupted and US technology firms needed ever growing numbers of computer scientists and technology specialists, they began relying on H-1Bs to recruit international talent.
Since 2005, the cap for H-1B visas has remained at 85,000 per year, with 20,000 visas designated for individuals with graduate degrees. While this number has remained static, H-1B applications have skyrocketed: peaking in 2017 at 236,000 applications, though declining to 199,000 in 2018. Denial rates for new H-1B applicants and visa renewals have also risen since 2017.
The recent decline in H-1B applications and rise of denial rates may be a consequence of immigration policies enacted by the Trump Administration. President Donald Trump signed the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order in 2017, which directed the Department of Homeland Security to award H-1B visas to the “most skilled or highest-paid beneficiaries.” While this order was purportedly issued to protect American workers, it likely contributed to the growth in H-1B denials.
The Trump Administration has also proposed eliminating the H-4 EAD program, which provides work permits to spouses of H-1B visa holders. The removal of this program could impact an estimated 100,000 spouses who have been granted work permits. Eliminating the H-4 visas would further undermine America’s ability to recruit and retain high-skilled talent.
To ensure long-term competitiveness in technology innovation, the US must make changes to its current immigration policies.
First, Congress should work on a bipartisan effort to reform the H-1B visa process to make it easier for companies to hire and retain international talent. Congress should raise the current cap on H-1B visas and remove the cap entirely for applicants with advanced degrees.
H-1Bs tend to favor big technology companies that have the requisite resources for handling the expense and extensive documentation required to secure an H-1B visa. Congress should therefore earmark a percentage of H-1B visas for start-ups and smaller technology companies.
Reforming the H-1B program will not be enough. Congress and the White House should create a new pathway that recruits talented international students and provides them an opportunity to enter the US workforce upon graduation. The application for this new program would include acceptance into a pre-approved AI-related graduate-level academic program, successful completion of the FBI and State Department’s screening and vetting process, and a commitment to work in an AI-relevant field in the US for a minimum of 10 years after graduation.
Once the program participant finishes graduate school, he or she would be granted a 10-year conditional ‘open-market’ EB-1 green card, giving the individual the ability to work for any US employer. After nine years of working in the US, the participant would be eligible to apply for a permanent green card or for naturalization. And at the 10-year employment mark, the participant would be granted unconditional permanent residency or citizenship.
A program like this would not only bring in qualified international talent to the US, it would attract individuals that already desire to study, work, and live here. This program would also address recruitment issues at smaller technology firms, the so-called “start-up visa” problem, by eliminating the expense and uncertainty of extending job offers to skilled immigrants.
The US should refrain from closing its doors to skilled international talent. As America’s doors threaten to slam shut, other countries, particularly China, are opening theirs. In this era of mounting technology competition, talent is an essential resource. The US needs talent to innovate and research and create. Talented, high-skilled immigrants want to come. America should afford them every opportunity to do so.
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