In a recent article, I highlighted the difficulties startups have in recruiting the technical skills they require to thrive, especially when recruiting foreign born graduates who require visas to work in their chosen country. Research found that startups often lack the knowledge and resources to help graduates navigate the visa processes, and this results in them often moving to larger firms, despite a clear desire to work for startups.
A new paper from the Partnership on AI highlights how damaging this can be for the AI community, especially for smaller firms without the resources to hire people to help staff or potential recruits navigate the complex global visa processes.
“It is tremendously important to have international scholars be able to meet in person to discuss issues in technology ethics, especially in AI, which is transforming the world so rapidly,” the authors say. “Visas have supported these meetings.”
Making things better
The paper provides nine recommendations to policy makers to make the visa process easier for AI startups:
- Accelerate reviews of visa applications
- Create AI/Machine Learning visa classifications within existing groups
- Publish accessible visa application information
- Establish just standards for evaluating visa applications
- Train officials in the language of emerging technologies
- Assist visa applicants
- Accept that students and interns are the future
- Redefine ‘families’
- Rely on effective policies and systems to protect information
The authors believe that for AI to be successful, it not only requires robust technical skills, but also a high degree of cultural diversity to ensure that the technology is developed in the right way and that it benefits all of society.
“Bringing together experts from countries around the world that represent different cultures, socioeconomic experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives is imperative,” thy conclude. “Their expertise and skills are essential for AI/ML to flourish and help create the future we desire. Changes to visa laws, policies, and practices are necessary to ensure that globally diverse voices will be available to convene, study, and work together to advance AI/ML technologies in a thoughtful and beneficial manner.”
Ensuring that companies can attract the right talent is crucial towards achieving this, so it’s vital that migration policies are such that companies of all sizes can recruit the skills they need to thrive.
