Donald Trump is pushing to make the United States a global leader in artificial intelligence, signing a series of executive orders this year aimed at enhancing America’s dominance in the field. In January, he issued an order focused on boosting U.S. leadership in AI, followed by an April directive urging federal agencies to hire more AI specialists. This week, Trump signed yet another order, this time targeting the integration of AI into the nation’s education system. “AI is where it seems to be at,” Trump said.
However, the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce have undercut these ambitions, former federal officials say. The Biden administration had previously worked to bring more than 200 AI experts into government roles through a program called the “National AI Talent Surge.” These specialists were tasked with projects like reducing Social Security wait times, streamlining tax filings, and helping veterans access healthcare. Many of these experts were dismissed early in Trump’s tenure.
Much of the purge, former officials say, stemmed from actions taken by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which terminated hundreds of recent technology hires as part of a broader staff reduction. Other firings came after Musk’s team dissolved the U.S. Digital Service and shuttered 18F, a key technology office that had helped agencies build digital services, including the IRS’s new free tax filing platform, Direct File.
The departures have left a significant gap in AI expertise across the federal government. Agencies are now scrambling to recruit replacements, despite fierce competition with the private sector, where salaries for AI specialists are much higher. “Everybody is trying to hire AI specialists, so AI was really hard, but we did this big push,” said Julie Siegel, a former senior official in Biden’s Office of Management and Budget.
The Trump administration has announced ambitious plans to replenish the talent pool. On April 3, OMB Director Russell Vought released a detailed memo urging agencies to focus on hiring individuals with operational experience in deploying large-scale AI systems. Yet experts warn that the recent turmoil could make recruitment efforts far more difficult.
“The Trump Administration’s actions have not only denuded the government of talent now, but for many folks, they will think twice about whether they want to work in government,” said Deirdre Mulligan, former head of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.
Recruiter Angelica Quirarte, who led tech hiring efforts under Biden, estimates that only about 10% of the AI experts hired during the previous administration remain in government. She resigned after less than a month under Trump, citing a chaotic environment where fear, rather than collaboration, dominated.
“It’s going to be really hard” to rebuild, Quirarte said. “It’s so chaotic.”
