The Trump administration unveiled a new initiative Monday to bring Silicon Valley expertise to federal agencies as the government seeks to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and maintain America’s technological edge.
The US Tech Force, announced by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), will recruit 1,000 early-career engineers, data scientists, and AI specialists for a two-year program embedding them across government agencies. The initiative represents one of the administration’s most ambitious efforts to modernize federal systems and compete in what officials describe as an intensifying global race for AI dominance.
“This is a clarion call,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement. “If you want to help your country lead in the age of AI, we need you.”
The Tech Force launch aligns with broader administration efforts to implement AI across federal agencies. In July, President Trump signed an action plan to expand AI infrastructure and reduce regulatory barriers to promote competitiveness in the U.S.
The initiative follows the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk earlier this year, which slashed thousands of tech jobs and has since ceased operating as a centralized organization.
Ironically, Tech Force addresses a critical technical talent gap in government as private tech companies wage their own war for AI experts, offering substantial salaries and benefits. To remain competitive, the Tech Force will offer compensation ranging from about $130,000 to $195,000 — significantly higher than traditional entry-level federal positions.
“This announcement comes after months of DOGE-driven layoffs at CISA and other federal agencies and only weeks after government employees had to go without pay for over six weeks,” Christopher Budd, a consultant in threat intelligence, said in an email. “The cybersecurity community is a small one that has seen trusted and well-respected colleagues go through incredible stress and hardship this year. The reality is that many in the cybersecurity community are unlikely to take this latest action seriously, let alone even consider applying for it.”
Nonetheless, the initiative has secured partnerships with approximately 25 leading technology companies, including Microsoft Corp., Amazon Web Services, Adobe Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., IBM Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Oracle Corp., Palantir Technologies Inc., and Musk’s xAI. These partners will provide mentorship, training, and career planning support throughout the two-year program.
Applications opened on Monday, with OPM hoping to place most participants in roles by the first quarter of 2026. The agency will conduct initial technical assessments before recommending candidates to individual agencies for final hiring decisions.
Tech Force members will be asked to tackle projects across government, including incorporating advanced AI into defense systems and drones at the Department of Defense, building out the Trump Accounts platform at the Internal Revenue Service, and deploying AI tools to enhance intelligence operations at the State Department.
“Placing the Genesis Mission at DOE makes strategic sense because DOE already oversees the National Labs and world-class supercomputing,” said Darren Kimura, CEO of AI Squared. “That is where a lot of cutting-edge AI-for-science capability actually lives. This may help move research from the largest tech companies back into the government or perhaps bring shared responsibility.”
The program will feature speaker events with Silicon Valley CEOs and executives and conclude with a job fair offering both public and private sector opportunities. OPM is also encouraging tech companies to recommend their own early-career managers for temporary leaves of absence to join the effort.
“The real challenge isn’t just recruiting today’s AI talent — it’s about creating robust postgraduate training programs that continuously develop professionals who understand both the technical complexities and policy implications of AI,” Jason Corso, a professor of AI at the University of Michigan, said in an email. “Without sustained investment in advanced training infrastructure, we’re simply shuffling existing expertise around rather than expanding our national capacity to use AI effectively.”
Kupor stressed the program’s potential to create “powerful career opportunities” for participants who want to serve their country while building expertise that will enhance their value in the private sector afterward. The initiative reflects growing recognition that government must compete aggressively for technical talent if it hopes to harness AI’s transformative potential while maintaining national security and technological leadership.
“Employment rates among early-career computer science grads have plummeted in recent years, in part due to AI coding apps commoditizing a lot of the tasks that would typically be assigned to younger, less experienced new hires,” said Andrew Gamino-Cheong, chief technology officer and co-founder of Trustible, an AI governance company that helps leaders across highly regulated industries. “Addressing AI literacy and providing pathways for this cohort is great for the market, but the long-term growth of this model and the broader market questions still linger.”
Added Druv C. Patel, CEO and co-founder of Syncurrent, “Any initiative that brings technical talent into the government is a step forward. We’ve seen firsthand how much demand there is for AI expertise at the local and tribal levels. Governments know they need to modernize but often lack the existing resources to do so.”
