Davos 2026: US becoming less immigrant-friendly is a 'huge unforced error', says Andrew Ng

AI pioneer Andrew Ng with Moneycontrol's Chandra R Srikanth at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 19

• Andrew Ng calls US immigration restrictions a huge unforced error
• New H-1B visa rules may hurt entry-level Indian professionals most
• Experts warn US visa changes could weaken its AI edge over China

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The United States becoming less immigrant-friendly is a "huge unforced error", AI pioneer Andrew Ng told Moneycontrol in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 19.

"The United States is fortunate to have so many skilled immigrants from India and many other nations want to come to the United States and work with us," said Ng, the founder of DeepLearning.AI, managing general partner at AI Fund and co-founder of Coursera.

"As an immigrant to the US myself, I feel like it's been such a blessing," Ng added. "To make it harder for these wonderful immigrants to join us in the United States, not just currently high-skilled immigrants, but 17, 18-year-old college students who will be high-skilled in the future, is a huge unforced error."

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Ng also highlighted the human aspect to this issue.

"I have so many friends in the US that have lived there for 10 years, kids born in the US, bought a house, but still in line for a green card," he said "This turmoil and disruption, I've seen how it shakes up families, and I think that's been really awful at a human level"

The United States has steadily tightened its visa regime since President Donald Trump returned to power in 2024.

The latest move is the US scrapping the traditional H-1B lottery in favour of a wage-weighted selection system that improves chances for higher-paid roles. Experts warn these moves could undermine the US lead in the global AI race against China.

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The impact is more significant for Indian professionals since Indians account for roughly 70-75 percent of H-1B visas, including 71 percent of approvals in 2024. Analysts expect the new system to favour senior engineers and niche specialists, while making it tougher for lower-paid, entry-level roles to clear the cap.