Computing Is the New Basic Literacy. The Milken Institute and CodePath Make the Case

A new research report charts what it will take to align American education and workforce systems with the AI economy.

In November 2025, the Milken Institute released The Computing Imperative: Building America's Talent Engine in the Age of AI, a research report developed in partnership with CodePath. In the foreword, CodePath CEO Michael Ellison frames the stakes:

"America stands at an inflection point. Computing is no longer a narrow skill set reserved for technologists. It's the new basic literacy that underpins every industry and community and enables economic mobility."

Authored by Emily Musil, PhD, and colleagues at Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy, the report draws on a literature review and more than 40 expert interviews spanning education, workforce, AI, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness.

The case in numbers

The argument for treating computing as core literacy rests on a hard set of data points:

• Computer and information technology occupations carry a median wage of $105,990, more than double the $49,500 national average, with 400,000+ new jobs projected between 2023 and 2033.
• 97% of software developers and engineers already use AI tools at work, regardless of company policy. Over 90% say those tools improved their code's quality.
• AI-related apprenticeships have grown 250% over the past decade.
• US private-sector AI investment hit $109.1 billion in 2024, but China now leads in 37 of 44 critical technologies tracked by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

The access gap is just as stark. Only 60% of US public high schools offer a foundational computer science course, and seven states have no CS standards at all.

A roadmap for impact capital

The report calls on philanthropists, employers, and policymakers to act on four fronts: make computing and AI the new basic literacy in K-12; reinvent higher education for the AI+ era; hardwire lifelong learning into the future of work; and build regional talent hubs that connect into a national engine for global competitiveness.

Each roadmap connects to work CodePath has been executing across nearly a thousand campuses, primarily with low-income and first-generation college students who go on to start tech companies and engineer at leading firms. The report is the case for scaling that approach into national infrastructure.

Read The Computing Imperative: Building America's Talent Engine in the Age of AI.