Palantir CTO says artificial intelligence is key to reshoring American manufacturing

Could artificial intelligence be the key to reshoring American manufacturing?That’s what Palantir’s chief technology officer, Shyam Sankar, believes.His new book, “Mobilize,” asserts that America can prevent World War III by rebuilding its industrial base with AI-powered workers who can outcompete China’s automated factories.“If you can make the American worker 50 times more productive than any other worker, you can change the math equation and underwrite the business case to re-industrializing at scale,” Sankar told me.“Mobilize” is a remarkably optimistic book that counters the narrative that AI is going to destroy all our jobs (and maybe humanity as a whole).

Instead, it argues AI will bring production back to the US, restoring our manufacturing capabilities and that sector’s jobs, while making our nation more secure.“AI is leading to more jobs — and I’m not talking about ephemeral jobs building data centers,” Sankar said, rebutting the prevailing doom-and-gloom narrative around artificial intelligence.“I’m talking about persistent jobs … on the factory floor.”Sankar applauds what he calls the “heretics” who built our country — innovators like Hyman Rickover, the “father of the nuclear Navy,” whom higher-ups initially dismissed, placing his office in a converted bathroom until he proved himself.

He’s a big believer in rule-breakers who eschew bureaucracy, and that’s exactly why he thinks America will win.The 44-year-old is uniquely positioned to make this argument.He’s one of a handful of voices in Silicon Valley with both deep technical expertise when it comes to government systems — he’s spent over a decade ironing out deals with the Pentagon — and a strong sense of patriotism.The book’s publication comes at a fortuitous moment.

War is on everyone’s mind with the conflict in Iran (not to mention the recent intervention in Venezuela and Cuba possibly next).Reshoring has become bipartisan policy, w...