AI Race Stumbles on Looming Skills Gap, โคNew โคAnalysis Warns
WASHINGTON D.C. โ- November 12, 2025 – The United States risks โคfalling further behind inโ the global artificial โคintelligence competition not due to a lack of funding,โฃ but a critical โคshortage โคof skilled labor,โ according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). while investment and computational power dominate the AI discourse,the report highlights the โfrequently enough-overlooked need for a robust workforce to build,maintain,and operate the increasinglyโข complex infrastructure underpinning AI progress – including data centersโ and advanced manufacturing facilities.
The warning comes as China accelerates its โAI infrastructureโข development, recently opening the โฃworld’s first underwater data center and showcasing โขadvanced automated manufacturing capabilities that have left American executives “shaken,” according to a recent Telegraph report. These “dark โฃfactories,” operating โฃwith minimal human presence to conserve energy, exemplify the โฃlevel of automation the U.S. is striving to match.
Theโข CSIS analysis โฃemphasizes thatโค technological advancement doesn’t โnecessitate job displacement, but rather can create and correlate to well-paid, durable middle-class jobs. โGenerative AI, the report states, will require ample investment, and humanโฃ capital is a fundamental element of this new industrial revolution, โwith automation ultimately spurring greater labor demand inโข a positive feedback loop.
Though, the current public conversation largely overlooks this critical component, costing valuableโ time in the race for AI domination. The report underscores the need toโค prioritize โคworkforce development alongside investments in computing power andโ data centers to ensure the U.S.โข can โcompete effectively and capitalize on the economic opportunities presented โขby AI.