All Research

All Research

The Dangerous Road to a “Master File”—Why Linking Government Databases Is a Terrible Idea
Article
AEIdeas

The Dangerous Road to a “Master File”—Why Linking Government Databases Is a Terrible Idea

A concerning development from the Trump administration has privacy advocates sounding alarm bells nationwide: a plan to consolidate data from dozens of government agencies into what would amount to a…

The Rigidity Cycle and the Pacing Problem
Article
Knowledge Problem

The Rigidity Cycle and the Pacing Problem

I was listening to Tyler Cowen’s Conversations With Tyler podcast with Jennifer Pahlka, rich and full of detail relevant to my previous post on the pacing problem. In addition to recommending…

Judge McFadden’s First Amendment Ruling Against the White House: Infusing Modern Speech Doctrines with History and Tradition
Article
AEIdeas

Judge McFadden’s First Amendment Ruling Against the White House: Infusing Modern Speech Doctrines with History and Tradition

I recently addressed today’s debate over the Press Clause’s meaning 234 years after the First Amendment’s ratification. The rift involves whether the clause is “a technology-specific provision” that safeguards “everyone’s…

Article
AEIdeas

Bastiat and What is Not Seen in Tech Policy

Over at The Dispatch, AEI Senior Fellow Jonah Goldberg recently praised Frédéric Bastiat’s classic essay, “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen.” Goldberg cited the piece to…

The AI Race Accelerates: Key Insights from the 2025 AI Index Report
Article
AEIdeas

The AI Race Accelerates: Key Insights from the 2025 AI Index Report

The 2025 AI Index Report, recently released by Stanford’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), offers an insightful overview of the current state and trajectory of artificial intelligence (AI). While the comprehensive…

Irony, Congress, and the FCC: The Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025  
Article
AEIdeas

Irony, Congress, and the FCC: The Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025  

In a sure sign of our topsy-turvy political times, Democrats in the US Senate and House of Representatives are sponsoring legislation that seeks both to rein in the reach of…

“Misinformation” Is Condescending: Do Better, Elites
Article
AEIdeas

“Misinformation” Is Condescending: Do Better, Elites

The concept of “misinformation” is deeply condescending. As commonly used in our discourse, it says the following to and about the public: “You’re getting the wrong information, and it’s causing…

Satellite Broadband Competition—New Hope, but for Which Markets?
Article
AEIdeas

Satellite Broadband Competition—New Hope, but for Which Markets?

Last week, Amazon subsidiary Project Kuiper announced plans to launch the first 27 satellites in its 3,000-plus planned low earth orbit (LEO) constellation from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in…

Measuring and Building Human Leadership in an AI World
Article
AEIdeas

Measuring and Building Human Leadership in an AI World

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, Measuring Human Leadership Skills With AI Agents, presents evidence that artificial intelligence may soon play a central role in evaluating…

California Finally Abandons Facets of Flawed Social-Media Mandate
Article
AEIdeas

California Finally Abandons Facets of Flawed Social-Media Mandate

Department of Government Efficiency, but the world’s richest person recently scored an important––albeit largely overlooked––First Amendment victory for social media platforms against intrusive, peek-under-the-hood government regulations. In late February, a…

My Response to the House Commerce Committee Privacy Working Group
Article
AEIdeas

My Response to the House Commerce Committee Privacy Working Group

In February 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced the creation of a privacy working group to address many of the now-familiar challenges created by our advanced digital…

The Spectrum Exchange: Networks, Security, and Innovation
Article
AEIdeas

The Spectrum Exchange: Networks, Security, and Innovation

Spectrum management is crucial to our digital future as it provides the invisible regulatory framework enabling efficient and equitable allocation of finite radio frequency resources. Without comprehensive, forward-thinking spectrum policies,…

Why Trump’s FTC Firings Matter—Even If They’re Legal
Article
AEIdeas

Why Trump’s FTC Firings Matter—Even If They’re Legal

President Donald Trump fired two Democratic commissioners from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last Tuesday, a move that raises important questions about the independence of regulatory agencies. If challenged in…

How Virologists Lost the Gain-of-Function Debate
Article
The New Atlantis

How Virologists Lost the Gain-of-Function Debate

For years, scientists kept the debate about risky virus research among themselves. Then Covid happened. As President Trump prepares to crack down on virology research, the expert community must face…

Eight Pathways to Overcome Vetocracy and Unlock Abundance
Article
AEIdeas

Eight Pathways to Overcome Vetocracy and Unlock Abundance

The recent release of Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson has brought much needed attention to the problem of sclerotic government, especially vetocracy. Vetocracy is an emergent property of…