The U.S. AI Action Plan is built on three familiar pillars—accelerating innovation, expanding infrastructure, and maintaining technological leadership—but its real test depends on education and training. To that end, the Trump Administration has linked the plan to two executive orders issued in April 2025: Executive Order 14277, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” and Executive Order 14278, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future.” Both orders came with tight deadlines and those windows have now closed. So where do things stand?

On December 2, CSET hosted a webinar to highlight the new PATHWISE tool and discuss the full range of emerging technology training and workforce issues. Following a demo of the new tool, Senior Fellow Matthias Oschinski moderated a discussion with leading experts on how this new data can inform the critical policy discussions central to the U.S. developing a robust domestic AI and cyber workforce.

CSET’s Helen Toner shared her expert analysis in an article published by The New York Times. The article discusses how Chinese-born researchers continue to play a critical role in advancing U.S. artificial intelligence, even amid heightened political tensions and growing immigration barriers.

CSET’s Luke Koslosky shared his expert analysis in an article published by The Hill. The article discusses President Trump’s decision to raise the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, highlighting the potential impact on the U.S. tech industry and its ability to attract skilled foreign workers.

This report examines lessons from the North Carolina Life Sciences Apprenticeship Consortium for pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing workforce development, and analyzes how apprenticeship programs help address workforce shortages in emerging tech fields. It offers a practical framework with important considerations for designing and launching programs, and serves as a resource for employers, regional leaders, and policymakers seeking to build a more resilient and technically skilled workforce.

Adrian Thinnyun and Zachary Arnold shared their expert analysis in an op-ed published by The National Interest. In their piece, they examine how the United States must adopt a learning-focused, industry-led self-regulatory framework for AI, drawing lessons from the nuclear sector’s post-Three Mile Island Institute for Nuclear Power Operations to prevent a public backlash and ensure safe, widespread deployment of transformative AI technologies.

CSET Research Analyst, Mina Narayanan shared her expert insights in an article published by Defense One. The piece examines President Trump’s newly released AI Action Plan, which outlines a sweeping effort to secure American dominance in artificial intelligence by accelerating military adoption, fast-tracking infrastructure, and expanding U.S. influence in global AI governance.

This roundtable report explores how practitioners, researchers, educators, and government officials view work-based learning as a tool for strengthening the cybersecurity workforce. Participants engaged in an enriching discussion that ultimately provided insight and context into what makes work-based learning unique, effective, and valuable for the cyber workforce.

CSET’s Jaret C. Riddick and Brendan Oliss analyze their newly released research published in the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Their piece examines how the 2025 revision of the Carnegie Classification criteria is impacting HBCUs’ progress toward R1 status.

CSET’s Lauren A. Kahn and CFR’s Michael C. Horowitz shared their expert analysis in an op-ed published by The National Interest. In their piece, they explore how the U.S. Department of Defense’s outdated budget process is undermining the military’s ability to adopt and scale emerging technologies quickly enough to deter rising global threats.