By Kemi Osukoya | BUSINESS & INNOVATION
As the artificial intelligence boom fuels a multi-trillion dollar race for computing power, energy and talent, one of Meta’s President and Vice Chair Dana White Powell says the technology industry’s biggest challenge is no longer building better algorithms but ensuring enough workers, infrastructure and electricity exist to support the next phase of growth.
Speaking about Meta’s expanding AI ambitions, Powell outlined a vision of AI as a catalyst for job creation and economic expansion rather than a force that displaces workers. The company recently launched a workforce development initiative aimed at training Americans for the growing number of jobs tied to data centers, advanced computing infrastructure and AI deployment, with an initial investment of $115 million and plans for broader expansion.
That effort comes as technology companies around the world pour unprecedented money into the physical infrastructure required to power AI. Powell said the industry will require an estimated $10 trillion in investment, roughly 250 gigawatts of new power generation capacity and millions of workers over the coming years to build and operate the next generation of digital infrastructure.
The scale of that investment is transforming AI from a purely technology story into a broader economic and industrial one, bringing together energy producers, capital providers, governments and technology companies in what Powell described as a modern-day industrial revolution.
“Energy is at the center of it, infrastructure is at the center of it, talent is at the center of it, and government is at the center of it,” she told members and guests at a Economic Club of New York event earlier this month.
Her statements reflect a growing consensus across Silicon Valley, Wall Street and governments that the future of AI will be determined as much by access to electricity, semiconductor supply chains and skilled labor as by advances in software. As companies race to build increasingly powerful AI models, demand for data centers has surged, placing new pressure on power grids and creating fresh opportunities for construction workers, electricians, engineers and technical specialists.
“The future is for everyone,” Powell said, describing AI as a catalyst for economic expansion rather than a force destined to eliminate jobs, arguing that concerns over widespread job losses from AI risk overlooking the economic opportunities emerging from the buildout. Citing recent labor market data, she noted that demand for white-collar workers remains strong while businesses that adopt AI are often expanding rather than shrinking their workforces.
The debate over AI’s economic impact has also become increasingly intertwined with national security and global competitiveness. Powell argued that maintaining U.S. leadership in AI will require continued investment in infrastructure, energy production and workforce development, particularly as rival nations seek to challenge American dominance in the sector.
The stakes extend beyond technology. Advances in AI are already reshaping industries ranging from healthcare and scientific research to manufacturing and defense, while governments increasingly view the technology as a strategic asset with implications for economic growth and military power.
For Powell, the debate over AI is not simply about technology. It is also about investments in human capital, opportunity, mobility and the long-term returns that come from those investments.
The daughter of Egyptian immigrants, Powell’s perspective is shaped as much by her personal story as by her experience in Washington, on Wall Street and now in Silicon Valley.
Born in Cairo to a Coptic Christian family, Powell immigrated to Texas with her parents at age five without speaking English. Her father, a former Egyptian Army officer, and her mother-among the first women to graduate from the American University in Cairo, arrived in the U.S. with professional credentials that did not easily translate into economic success. Like many immigrants, they took on whatever work they could find to create opportunities for their children.
“My parents used to say, ‘We left our homeland, our church, our friends, so you three girls could pursue your dreams and be anything you want to be,'” Powell recalled.
She worked her way through college as a waitress before an internship with former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison opened the door to Washington. From there, she built a career that spanned public service, national security, finance and philanthropy, serving in senior roles in the White House, becoming a partner at Goldman Sachs, returning to the White House as National Security Advisor during Trump first presidency and later joining Meta as President and Vice Chair.
One story in particular continues to shape her understanding of investment and economic mobility. Years after becoming a Goldman Sachs partner, Powell brought her father to a board dinner at an affluent Dallas home. As they drove up the long driveway, he quietly told her he had been there before.
Not as a guest.
Years earlier, shortly after arriving from Egypt, he had mowed the property’s lawn to support his family. “Now I’m walking in with my daughter, a partner at Goldman Sachs,” he told her. “Only in America.”
That experience reinforced a belief that has carried through each chapter of her career: that investment in talent, education and opportunity can generate returns that compound across generations.
Her experience in both finance and government also informs her view that America’s competitive advantage in AI extends beyond algorithms. Access to capital, deep energy markets, entrepreneurial culture, research institutions and a stable regulatory environment have combined to give the U.S. a lead that many competitors are struggling to match.
At the same time, she warns that the benefits of AI will not be evenly distributed unless adoption broadens. Small businesses and women, she noted, remain significantly less likely to use AI tools despite growing evidence that early adopters are increasing productivity, expanding market share and creating jobs.
For Powell, the challenge facing policymakers and business leaders right now is not simply building more powerful technology. It is ensuring that the economic gains generated by AI reach communities, workers and entrepreneurs who might otherwise be left behind.
Success, she argues, will ultimately be measured not by the sophistication of AI models but by whether the technology expands access to healthcare, accelerates scientific discovery, improves education and creates new pathways to economic advancement.
It is a view shaped as much by her family’s immigrant journey as by her years in government, finance and Silicon Valley—a belief that investment, when paired with opportunity, can create returns far beyond the balance sheet.
In her view, America’s advantage extends beyond technological leadership to include deep capital markets, abundant energy resources, research institutions and an entrepreneurial culture capable of commercializing innovation at scale.
That competitive edge, she argues, should not be taken for granted.
