Could America’s AI Industry Exist Without International Students? Probably Not

FILE - A keyboard is seen reflected on a computer screen displaying the website of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot from OpenAI, in this illustration picture taken Feb. 8, 2023.

According to new research from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), 42% of major AI companies in the United States have a founder who came to the U.S. as an international student.

Furthermore, nearly 4 out of 5 of these companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. And of all the graduate students in the U.S. studying AI-related fields, 70% come from another country.

Keeping international students in the U.S. after graduation is “essential for U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence,” the study concludes.

Stuart Anderson, the executive director of NFAP, summarizes his findings in Forbes. (July 2023)