The record to date is striking. The United States accounts for just 4% of the world’s population but generates 26% of global GDP and is home to more than half of the world’s top firms by market capitalization. The US track record of innovation is impressive: Americans created or supported 76 of the 100 most important inventions since 1776—from the steamboat and electrical grid to the microprocessor and generative AI. The country leads in R&D spending and notable AI models, and in recent years has widened its productivity edge over other advanced economies.
This success was never inevitable. Across four chapters of US history— an agricultural, industrial, scientific, and digital age—the United States repeatedly reinvented its economic model. It harnessed abundant natural resources and paired them with a culture of ambition, experimentation, and institution-building. Each era faced disruption—civil war, global conflict, oil shocks, financial crises—and responded with adaptation.
Now a fifth chapter is emerging. In this chapter, the global environment is more fragmented. Geopolitical competition is intensifying. AI and other frontier technologies are accelerating. Fertility rates are falling. Capital is more expensive. And some historical advantages are becoming real challenges: deteriorating fiscal health, aging infrastructure, declining educational performance, fading manufacturing depth, and sustained disparities in income and wealth.
For business leaders, policymakers, and civic institutions, the takeaway is clear: US competitiveness is not a given. It is a choice but also a system level effort. It will take system level efforts across five key areas for sustained US economic leadership in the future.
First, build an AI-fluent workforce.
AI could add materially to productivity growth in coming decades, but only if firms redesign work and workers are equipped to thrive alongside automation. That means more than technical AI skills. It requires broad-based digital fluency, stronger STEM pipelines, and modernized K–12 systems that emphasize problem-solving and adaptability. Businesses must invest in reskilling at scale and rethink job architectures. Governments can reduce labor mobility frictions, modernize credentialing, and attract global talent. Educational institutions across universities, community colleges, and vocational training must both deepen technical capacity and preserve the creative thinking that has historically fueled US innovation.
Second, restore fiscal and investment discipline.
The United States benefits from deep capital markets and the dollar’s global role. But federal debt now exceeds 120% of GDP, and interest payments have increased significantly. Sustained long-term competitiveness requires credible deficit management to prevent crowding out private investment. For corporate leaders, higher capital costs reinforce the imperative to raise productivity through automation and portfolio discipline. For policymakers, preserving financial stability and directing capital toward productive investments is essential.
Third, secure energy abundance for the AI age.
Reliable, affordable energy has long been a US strategic advantage. Yet power demand is rising sharply for the first time in decades, driven largely by data centers and electrification. By 2040, electricity demand could increase by nearly 60% Without faster permitting, grid modernization, and diversified generation—including nuclear, renewables, and advanced technologies—energy could become a bottleneck to growth. Energy strategy is now industrial strategy, and even more important amidst the war in Iran.
Fourth, modernize infrastructure at speed and scale.
From railroads to interstate highways to fiber optics, infrastructure has underpinned every US competitive leap. Today, underinvestment has left material gaps, even as climate pressures and geopolitical competition increase demands. Streamlined permitting, digital integration, and coordinated federal-state action can shorten build times and reduce costs. Private capital has a role, but improved processes, predictability, and policy clarity are prerequisites.
Fifth, strengthen national economic security.
The United States imports roughly $1.2 trillion in critical goods annually, and in some areas relies heavily on geopolitically distant partners. China now produces 45% of global manufacturing output, compared with 11% for the United States. The goal is not isolation from global markets but flexibility and resilience: diversified supply chains, targeted domestic capacity in critical sectors, and closer coordination between government and business. Recent surges in semiconductor-related foreign direct investment demonstrate what alignment can achieve.
Across all five priorities, one principle stands out: competitiveness is a shared project. Businesses cannot succeed without reliable infrastructure, talent pipelines, and fiscal stability. Governments cannot fund national priorities without a productive private sector. Individuals cannot access opportunity without dynamic labor markets and rising productivity.
As the report concludes, “We the people will write the coming chapter.” The United States has repeatedly adapted its institutions and economic model to new technological and geopolitical realities. At the 250 year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the imperative is active renewal.
The real work is ahead, but the prize is significant: sustained growth, national economic security, and broad-based opportunity in an AI-powered world.
This article originally appeared in Forbes.