New Delhi, Sept. 30 -- US President Donald Trump's H-1B visa restrictions could hobble both the Indian and American technology industries, which are in the midst of an artificial intelligence (AI)-led disruption. The regime creates a $100,000 entry barrier for each new foreign worker in information technology (IT) services and distorts the American labour market, which otherwise benefits from a talent mop-up that is the envy of the world.

Hopes for course correction lie in a substantive trade deal, but this will not materialize overnight. Meanwhile, the two countries must recognize that AI is narrowing the window to turn their IT ties into a lasting strategic advantage.

The US is the largest market for Indian IT service exports and Indi...