The scarcity of people with frontier artificial intelligence (AI) expertise has created a new layer of competition in the global innovation economy. While AI requires massive computational resources to achieve breakthroughs, success also depends on the skills of researchers and engineers capable of using that compute efficiently.
The same pattern is emerging in other frontier domains, such as quantum computing, next-generation materials, and synthetic biology, in which expertise may even be scarcer and the technical barriers higher.
This shift is reshaping how innovation markets operate. Large technology companies build internal research capacity by acquiring teams from startups. Investors are rewriting term sheets and rethinking governance mechanisms to address the impact of sudden departures. Companies are reconsidering the mechanics of competition itself — from how they recruit and retain people to how they design transactions and incentives.
* * *
Download the Forces of Law report now to read the full article and gain access to our complete collection of insights exploring legal forces reshaping modern business strategy.
This informational piece, which may be considered advertising under the ethical rules of certain jurisdictions, is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute the rendering of legal advice or other professional advice by Goodwin or its lawyers. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contacts
- /en/people/c/chu-lawrence
Lawrence M. Chu
PartnerCo-Chair, Global M&A - /en/people/l/lang-daniel
Daniel A. Lang
Partner - /en/people/s/saposnik-daniel
Daniel Saposnik
Partner