Global network concept using NASA maps.
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As competition with China intensifies, Washington is turning to a cornerstone of American soft power and diplomacy to expand its global influence in the field of artificial intelligence: the Peace Corps.
The White House on Friday announced the “Tech Corps” initiative within the Peace Corps to promote U.S. AI abroad and help partner countries adopt cutting-edge systems.
The Peace Corps is an independent U.S. government agency that sends American volunteers overseas to support local development projects, particularly in the areas of education, health, agriculture and economic growth.
The new Tech Corps will be similarly structured, but will recruit, train, and deploy volunteers with technical skills, including engineers and graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to provide “last mile” support for the implementation of U.S. AI solutions abroad, particularly at the application level.
A website as the Tech Corps has initiated and is accepting applications, which it says will be accepted on a rolling basis.
In a announcementthe Peace Corps said AI solutions implemented by the new group would be geared toward “basic, real-world problems” in key sectors including agriculture, education, healthcare and economic development.
Volunteers would be sent to countries participating in the U.S. AI export program, announced in July as part of a Trump administration executive order aimed at maintaining U.S. dominance in advanced technologies globally.
The executive order aligns with broader U.S. efforts to counter the influence of Chinese technologies globally, including in developing countries.
Chinese companies have gained traction in some developing countries by offering open-source or open-weight models that are inexpensive, highly customizable, and capable of running on local infrastructure, including Qwen3 and Deepseek.
AI SovereigntyAlthough the full list of countries participating in the AI export program remains unclear, India is expected to be one of them, along with the Ministry of Commerce. welcoming his participation last week.
The statement came ahead of the inaugural India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, first announced the creation of the Tech Corps.
India is also joining the US-led movement. Pax Silica initiative – a Trump administration effort to secure the global supply chain for silicon-based technologies – alongside Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as core members.
At the summit, Kratsios argued that expanding access to U.S. AI technologies was essential to closing the gap in global AI adoption between developed and developing economies. “True AI sovereignty means owning and using best-in-class technology for the benefit of your people,” he said.
AI sovereignty – which was a major topic at the Indian AI conference – refers to a country’s ability to develop, control and govern artificial intelligence systems within its own legal, economic and strategic framework.
The summit saw a number of US tech companies announce major investments in India’s AI infrastructure, building on the billions announced last year, in line with the Tech Corps’ goals.
“AI is the future, and as the undisputed global leader in AI technology, the United States, through the Tech Corps, will be at the forefront of delivering these benefits,” said Richard E. Swarttz, acting director of the Peace Corps.
Tech Corps volunteers will serve overseas for 12 to 27 months or participate in virtual service placements, with field deployments expected to begin in fall 2026. As with the Peace Corps, volunteers will receive housing, health care, a living stipend and service awards upon completion.
In addition to the Tech Corps, the White House also announced other initiatives at the India AI Summit, including a National Champions Initiative to integrate leading foreign AI companies into customized U.S. AI export stacks.
“We recognize that partners need the opportunity to grow their local technology industries and believe that facilitating this will be a critical part of the export program,” the White House said.
He also announced new initiatives to help partner countries “overcome financing barriers when importing the US AI stack,” through other soft power institutions such as the World Bank and the US International Development Finance Corporation.
