Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to the Peace Corps, a storied governmental institution, to export American expertise to developing nations.

The Tech Corps initiative unveiled recently by Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, represents a strategic shift for the 65-year-old agency.

Traditionally focused on grassroots projects in agriculture and education, the Peace Corps will now recruit STEM graduates and software engineers to provide last-mile technical support for American AI apps abroad.

The move comes as Washington, D.C., faces mounting pressure from Beijing’s rapid digital expansion. Recent reports indicate Chinese AI models like DeepSeek and Qwen3 are becoming preferred tools in the developing world because of their low cost and ability to run on modest local infrastructure.

By embedding volunteers directly into local institutions, the U.S. aims to ensure that AI sovereignty, the ability of a nation to control its own digital destiny, is built upon American, rather than Chinese, frameworks.

“AI is the future,” said Richard E. Swarttz, acting Peace Corps director. “As the undisputed world leader in AI technology, the United States will be at the forefront of delivering these benefits to partner countries.”

Tech Corps volunteers will serve 12- to 27-month assignments, working alongside local partners to solve real-world problems. Potential missions include helping teachers integrate AI into personalized lesson plans; co-developing diagnostic models with national health offices; and refining datasets to help local farmers optimize crop yields.

Applications for the Tech Corps are now being accepted on a rolling basis, with the first wave of on-ground deployments scheduled for fall 2026.

The program is a pillar of the American AI Exports Program, established by a 2025 executive order. This broader strategy seeks to maintain U.S. dominance in advanced technologies while helping partner nations build their own “native technology industries.”

The announcement was a centerpiece of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. India is expected to be a primary partner in the initiative, recently joining the U.S.-led Pax Silica, a coalition aimed at securing global supply chains for silicon-based technologies.

While supporters hail the Tech Corps as a necessary modernization of volunteer service for the 21st century, the shift has raised questions regarding the Peace Corps’ traditional mission of neutrality.

Critics and observers suggest that transforming volunteers into “instruments of innovation diplomacy” could complicate the agency’s grassroots identity.