Despite Trump's visa curbs, more Chinese AI researchers work in the US than before
A new study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reveals that Chinese-origin researchers continue to dominate the AI talent pool in the United States despite recent visa restrictions. While the ratio of Chinese to US-trained researchers in the US is narrowing, the US remains the primary destination for elite AI talent.
Why it matters
The data highlights the ongoing global competition for AI expertise and suggests that restrictive immigration policies may have long-term impacts on US technological leadership.
The US-China race for artificial intelligence is usually measured in chips and frontier models. A new study measures it in people, and the flow still runs heavily one way. For every 30 Chinese-origin AI researchers working in the United States in 2025, only one US-trained researcher was working in China, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In 2022, that ratio stood at 46 to one.The gap is narrowing, but slowly, and a migration expert says the headline number may be hiding the real problem. "The danger for the U.S. is a slow erosion of its appeal to attract talent that compounds over decades," said Yingyi Ma, a sociology professor at Syracuse University who studies Asian students in America. "By the time the effect shows up in the data, it is hard to reverse."Her point rests on timing.
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