The government agency that sends its corps members to volunteer abroad has launched its latest initiative called Tech Corps. The Peace Corps’ latest proposal would recruit STEM graduates or people with professional experience in the artificial intelligence field and send them to participating host countries.
According to the press release, the volunteers will be placed in Peace Corps countries that are part of the US AI Export Program, which was created by an executive order from President Trump last year to strengthen America’s hold on the AI market abroad. Tech Corps members will be tasked with using AI to solve issues related to agriculture, education, health and economic development. The program will offer its members 12 to 27-month in-person assignments or virtual placements, which will include housing, health care, a living stipend, and a volunteer service award if the corps member is placed overseas.
Acting Peace Corps Director Richard E. Swartz said in a press release that Tech Corps volunteers will “build technical capacity, support AI adoption in critical use cases and address barriers to last-mile AI implementation.” While the Tech Core program is designed to benefit host countries, it will also help secure America’s position in the rapidly growing global AI market that also includes increasing competition from China.
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