American Global Leadership Must be Grounded in a Stable and Growing Middle Class

This weekend’s Washington Post article on AI data centers struck me as a microcosm of one of the most fundamental challenges facing the United States today. The tension between AI data centers and the communities that host them is emblematic of a larger question facing the United States: how to be a global technology leader while ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared by families and local communities. We must build the data centers needed to remain globally competitive, but companies must engage transparently with local communities, address concerns about water and electricity use, and make meaningful commitments to job creation and community development.

Most Americans want the U.S. to be engaged in the world, support the need for American leadership in trade and technology, and understand the urgency of not ceding global leadership to China. However, a renewed approach to global leadership must be linked to domestic priorities: making life more affordable for working families, expanding opportunities for workforce training, and making sure that the benefits of technology are equally shared.

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