Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar stated that the United States is making daily progress in harnessing artificial intelligence to boost American workers and industry. He expressed concern that fears surrounding AI infrastructure, such as restrictions on data centers, could impede the nation's ability to generate wage growth and maintain prosperity.
Sankar believes China views AI as a critical component of its industrial policy, aiming to commoditize AI's complementary aspects and scale the underlying technology stack, including chips, power, and minerals. He argued that the U.S. should also focus on winning the full stack of AI development and deployment.
"The only threat to AI generating prosperity for America is suicide and homicide," Sankar told Fox News Digital. "I'm not really worried about what is China going to do per se. I'm more worried about bans on data centers and kind of unfettered and unwarranted fears curtailing our ability to actually generate wage growth for the American worker."
He pointed to an example of a small submarine parts manufacturer that reduced its production planning time from two weeks to under an hour using AI. This efficiency gain allowed the company to increase production and hire a third shift. Sankar suggested that in a supply-constrained economy, eliminating inefficiencies can unleash productivity.
Sankar previously wrote that the U.S. must leverage both AI and its workforce to compete, stating that AI development and deployment should prioritize American workers and industries. He emphasized that the goal is not abstract efficiency but concrete American prosperity. In his view, if the U.S. does not invest in AI and automation, it risks falling behind China, whose manufacturing productivity has grown significantly faster.
Palantir's recent American Builders Summit highlighted stories from graduates of their American Tech Fellowship, who shared how they are using AI to enhance their skills and professions. Sankar indicated that companies are increasingly adopting AI technologies to gain an advantage.