Donald Trump aims to position the United States as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence.
He demonstrated this commitment in January by signing an executive order designed to strengthen America’s “dominance” in AI. In early April, his administration instructed all federal agencies to actively recruit individuals with expertise in AI design and implementation. On Wednesday, he further emphasized this focus by signing another executive order, this time focusing on integrating AI into the nation’s educational system. Trump stated, “AI is where it seems to be at.”
However, Trump’s unpredictable personnel changes within the federal government have hindered these very objectives. In the last 18 months of the Biden Administration, a significant effort was made to attract over 200 AI technology experts to public service, diverting them from the private sector through an initiative known as the “National AI Talent Surge.” These new hires were strategically placed throughout the government, where they utilized AI to improve services such as reducing Social Security wait times, simplifying tax filing processes, and assisting veterans in managing their medical care. According to multiple former federal officials speaking to TIME, the majority of these experts were quickly removed from their positions by the new administration.
Former officials suggest that this shift represents a considerable waste of government funds, especially as agencies within the Trump Administration are now seeking to hire individuals with the exact expertise they recently dismissed. This situation may force agencies to rely more on external companies, which can be a more expensive alternative, to provide the necessary skills. Neither the White House nor the Office of Management and Budget responded to requests for comments.
A significant portion of the AI expert attrition occurred when Elon Musk’s team terminated hundreds of recent technology hires as part of a larger reduction involving thousands of employees on probation or with “term” contracts, according to former officials from those offices. Further dismissals took place when Musk’s team eliminated the U.S. Digital Service and dismantled a technology office, 18F, within the General Services Administration. 18F had been instrumental in assisting various government agencies in launching new services, including the IRS’s popular free tax-filing program, Direct File.
Federal agencies are constantly seeking skilled tech professionals, who are in high demand and can often command significantly higher salaries in the private sector. Julie Siegel, a former senior official in Biden’s Office of Management and Budget, noted that recruiting AI experts into government has been a major challenge. She stated, “Everybody is trying to hire AI specialists, so AI was really hard, but we did this big push.”
The Trump administration has articulated its own ambitious objectives for attracting more tech talent. On April 3, Russell Vought, Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget, issued a 25-page outlining how federal leaders should accelerate the government’s adoption of AI. Vought wrote, “Agencies should focus recruitment efforts on individuals that have demonstrated operational experience in designing, deploying, and scaling AI systems in high-impact environments.”
Deirdre Mulligan, former director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office in the Biden White House, believes that putting these plans into action will be more difficult than necessary. “The Trump Administration’s actions have not only denuded the government of talent now, but I’m sure that for many folks, they will think twice about whether or not they want to work in government,” Mulligan says. “It’s really important to have stability, to have people’s expertise be treated with the level of respect it ought to be and to have people not be wondering from one day to the next whether they’re going to be employed.”
In early 2024, Biden officials hired a new recruiter, Angelica Quirarte, who had extensive experience attracting tech experts to public service. She believes that coders and engineers are naturally drawn to problem-solving and are attracted to the challenge of working with large datasets that can improve services for millions of people. Prior to this role, she established and led a non-profit national tech talent search called “Tech to Gov,” which recruited hundreds of technologists to work in federal and state government.
Quirarte told TIME that she helped recruit approximately 250 AI experts in under a year. Following Trump’s actions, she estimates that only about 10% of that group remains in federal government positions.
“It’s going to be really hard” for the Trump administration to hire more tech workers after such haphazard layoffs, Quirarte says. “It’s so chaotic.”
Quirarte initially intended to remain in her position during the Trump Administration and continue recruiting tech workers into federal service. She had previously held senior roles in California state government under various administrations. “I think transitions are healthy for democracies, when they’re approached with good intent and honor, and most of my work is not political,” Quirarte says.
However, after just 23 days in the Trump Administration, Quirarte decided to resign. “It was not an environment where you assumed good intent—you’re operating out of fear,” she says. “That’s not an environment where you can get good policy and good governing work done.”
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