Bill Drexel
In the wake of trade convulsions, an incendiary H-1B visa debate, and bitter diplomatic ruptures following lethal hostilities between India and Pakistan last spring, the United States and India are finally poised to turn over a new leaf in the coming weeks as a trade deal solidifies, reopening the door to much broader cooperation that both nations have sought for many years. But the basis of a rapprochement between the two behemoths is anything but clear, as two of the traditional pillars of closer US-India collaboration are beginning to look wobbly: high-skilled Indian immigration is increasingly under fire in the United States, and offshoring cheap manufacturing to Asia looks more unsustainable than ever before.
Finding new areas of robust cooperation for India and America is a daunting but necessary task as the two nations grapple with their strategic interdependence in the shadow of China’s growing heft and belligerence. Artificial intelligence looms large as the most obvious solution.
Momentum favors it. Recent trade agreements—including Technology Prosperity Deals signed with Japan, South Korea, and the UK this fall—have featured strong AI components, emphasizing coordination on AI exports, standards, and infrastructure development. India brings its own unique AI complementarities to the United States: a hunger to adapt and iterate on American breakthroughs for cost-effective applications, a massive talent pool, and a pressing need to attract greater American computing capabilities.
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