The US will send Tech Corps members to foreign countries in its latest push for AI dominance

The government agency that sends its members overseas to volunteer in foreign countries has launched its latest initiative called Tech Corps. The Peace Corps’ latest proposal will be to recruit STEM graduates or those with professional experience in the artificial intelligence sector and send them to participating host countries.

According to the press release, volunteers will be placed in Peace Corps countries that are part of the U.S. AI Export Program, created last year following an executive order from President Trump to strengthen the United States’ grip on the foreign AI market. Tech Corps members will be responsible for using AI to solve problems related to agriculture, education, healthcare and economic development. The program will provide its members with in-person assignments or virtual internships of 12 to 27 months, which will include housing, health care, a living stipend and a volunteer service award if the corps member is placed overseas.

Richard E. Swarttz, acting director of the Peace Corps, said in a press release that Tech Corps volunteers “will build technical capabilities, support the adoption of AI in critical use cases, and remove barriers to last-mile AI implementation.” While the Tech Corps program is designed to benefit host countries, it would also help solidify the United States’ position in the rapidly expanding global AI market, which includes growing competition from China.