This opinion piece is part of Access Partnership’s ‘A Digital Manifesto’ initiative, which recommends a framework to develop US global leadership on digital policy for the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14179 titled ‘Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence’, which boldly positions the United States to maintain its leadership in artificial intelligence by dismantling regulatory barriers and expediting innovation. A key component of this initiative is the development of the AI Action Plan, which will outline key policy actions aimed at strengthening America’s role as an AI leader while ensuring that excessive regulations do not stifle private sector innovation.
Across the US, stakeholders have responded with much enthusiasm to calls for voices to shape the Action Plan and over 8,700 public comments were received in the development process. Stakeholders highlighted the need for robust infrastructure investment, including investments into a robust research and development ecosystem; export controls to maintain competitive advantage; and strong public-private partnerships to drive the AI agenda, recognising the role of AI in shaping the future of the US’ economic development.
Indeed, AI has the potential to transform industries and strengthen the position of the US as a global tech leader, driving growth across sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and transport. In particular, as the world’s second largest manufacturing hub (in terms of real value), the US is refocusing on manufacturing in critical sectors through policies such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act, and AI will play a key role in that. It can improve efficiency, quality, and flexibility through predictive maintenance, automation, supply chain optimisation, and quality control. It can also enhance design, energy usage, and customisation while supporting smarter decision-making.
People at the heart of AI transformation
The transformative impact of AI lies in its accessibility and broad range of applications. AI is not a technology that can be deployed only by those with strong technical skills or an advanced level of digital literacy. Indeed, it is the other way round. AI makes digital technology accessible for the masses – it draws data and information together in a manner that is intuitive for the lay person. AI chatbots allow users to access information on the internet through a series of simple prompts. Gone are the days of finetuning search engines prompts and clicking through pages of results – AI turns the most casual user of a search engine into a consummate researcher.
With this unique ability, AI will transform jobs in two distinct ways. On the one hand, it will create new jobs for those who are most tech savvy, the technical workers able to customise and deploy AI models or build AI applications. On the other hand, it will change the workday for a vast number of non-technical workers across fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and many others.
Taking this perspective, it is easy to see that people must be at the heart of the AI transformation. The human touch is not merely critical to building increasingly advanced capabilities of AI; it also plays an important role in unlocking AI’s full potential. Across the world and in the US, as governments seek to stay ahead in the AI race, strong skilling policies will be critical in unlocking the benefits of AI, as well as managing the social impact of its ability to displace some jobs. Skills must therefore be a central focus of the US’ upcoming AI Action Plan.
Rethinking education in the AI world
Access Partnership has undertaken extensive research on the impact of AI on skill changes and the future of work, working with critical stakeholders to understand the forces that shape AI adoption and the priorities for reskilling and upskilling so that governments and businesses can harness the full benefits of AI. Three key insights have emerged from our work:
1. A skills-first approach will be increasingly critical.
AI is expected to permeate almost all job roles, albeit to different degrees. This will, in turn, accelerate the pace of change in job skill requirements in an unprecedented manner, making skills gained from formal education obsolete over time. This calls for a shift in mindset towards a skills-first approach where practical competencies are prioritised over traditional academic qualifications.
2. Lifelong learning opportunities must be provided for all groups.
As AI transforms jobs, workers without the ability to upskill or reskill will be left behind or displaced. Not only must lifelong learning policies and infrastructure be in place, but governments must also ensure that socially vulnerable groups – a large proportion of which are in jobs with higher risks of displacement – have access to reskilling opportunities. As AI increases productivity and boosts competitiveness, it will expand the revenue opportunities for firms, enabling the creation of more and better job opportunities in the long run. However, this is contingent on strong policies that provide workers with the necessary skills to use AI tools effectively.
3. Public and private collaboration is critical to addressing changing skill needs.
Given AI’s transformative impact on industry and work, collaboration to combine the resources, expertise, and infrastructure of the public and private sectors is critical to aligning education and training with industry needs, scaling training programmes, and ensuring inclusive access to AI opportunities.
Recommendations for action
Against these three insights, we have proposed a set of policy recommendations for the AI Action Plan:
1. Support a skills-first approach through data
- Develop skills-based competency frameworks for key sectors. Moving away from a conventional focus on degrees, policymakers can take the lead in working with industry to create comprehensive competency frameworks for critical sectors where AI skills are essential. Detailed AI skill taxonomies to categorise and define the core competencies needed in critical sectors can ensure alignment with emerging industry demands and technological advancements.
- Develop national skills gap analyses to identify priority skills needs. The development of national skills gap analyses to assess priority skills requirements for digital skills across industries, particularly critical sectors, can drive targeted investments into training and support the skill transition necessary for AI-driven growth.
2. Create new pathways to success
- Streamline accreditation for non-traditional providers. Online AI-powered educational platforms can offer accessible and affordable courses to underserved or at-risk communities, ensuring that no one is left behind in the AI revolution. More flexible accreditation processes aligned with AI-focused competency frameworks can support the proliferation and growth of training from non-traditional providers and develop the AI talent pipeline.
- Support integration of non-traditional credentials in public sector hiring processes. The public sector should take the lead in recognising non-traditional credentials in hiring and promotion processes to support a broader mindset shift towards a skills-first approach.
3. Engage private sector to close the training gap
- Fund AI apprenticeship programmes: By offering financial and non-financial incentives or support for AI apprenticeship programmes or on-the-job training initiatives, the government can accelerate hands-on training and create a strong talent pipeline.
- Expand open-source AI development: Lowering barriers for businesses, particularly small businesses, to access AI technologies can stimulate innovation and provide new opportunities for workers.
- Develop skill training maps. Public-private collaboration to develop industry skilling roadmaps that set out the AI deployment pathway of different industries and specific areas for skills training can guide and inform lifelong learning programmes.
At Access Partnership, we are experts in guiding businesses through the complexities of digital transformation and policy development. With our deep understanding of both technological and regulatory landscapes, we can help companies and governments shape effective policies to drive innovation. Contact Dr Gayathri Haridas at [email protected] to learn how Access Partnership can help your organisation navigate the future of work in an AI-driven era.
