Policymakers continue to debate the ability of the United States to attract and retain top international talent. This Issue Brief assesses how many international Ph.D. graduates across various STEM fields and nationalities intend to stay in the United States after completing their degrees.

China’s strategy to grow its science and technology talent includes: 1) improving domestic education; 2) attracting overseas Chinese talent; and 3) attracting foreign talent. While China’s commitment to domestic education reform has achieved remarkable results, significant challenges remain.

See our translation of the Ministry of Science and Technology describes a plan to entice foreign scientists, professors and entrepreneurs to work in China. Chinese companies, universities and research institutes apply on behalf of their prospective foreign employees.

How do we measure leadership in artificial intelligence, and where does the United States rank? This policy brief examines potential AI strengths of the United States and China and prescribes recommendations to ensure the United States remains ahead.

Plus RAND report on DOD, OECD report on semiconductor industry and the AI Index

Zachary Arnold is the Analytic Lead for CSET’s Emerging Technology Observatory.

Dahlia Peterson is a State Department Fellow. Her previous research has included how China harnesses various technologies for its AI-powered surveillance programs.

Olivia Albrighton-Vanway is the Director of People and Operations, overseeing human resources/people operations, grant and financial management, and office administration.

James Dunham is the Interim Director of Data Science and Research and an NLP Engineer. His doctoral research at MIT addressed measurement problems in political science using unstructured data and natural language processing.