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September 13, 2024
The Politics of American Energy Policy
In the U.S. presidential debate earlier this week, the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris offered a strong endorsement of not just the technology of fracking but also of fossil fuels: I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking. My position is that we have got to invest in diverse sources…
September 11, 2024
The Extinction of Experience: A Book Event with Christine Rosen
September 10, 2024
Jawboning: Weighing Government Influence over Online Platforms’ Censorship Practices
Event Summary On September 10, AEI’s Shane Tews moderated a panel exploring the legal implications of government involvement in free speech. Following a showing of the Federalist Society’s short film JAWBONED: Miss Information vs. Free Speech, the panel unpacked the background of the differences between Murthy v. Missouri and the National Rifle Association v. Vullo…
September 10, 2024
The Precautionary Principle, Safety Regulation, and AI: This Time, It Really Is Different
Key Points Read the pdf. The precautionary principle (PP) holds that in the face of scientific uncertainty about the outcomes of deploying a new technology, and especially when serious or irreversible damage could occur, a cautionary approach is justified—“better to be safe than sorry”—which necessitates strictly regulating the technology’s release. The PP has long been…
September 6, 2024
Social and Physical Theories of Technological Stagnation
Among those who believe that technological change has stagnated, there are two broad categories. One social/institutional theory of stagnation, often associated with Peter Thiel, claims that the world has entered a period of technological stagnation due to avoidable social and institutional factors. Thiel and others in this camp argue that societies have chosen safety, regulation,…
September 3, 2024
How Testosterone and Culture Shape Behavior
In this TED Talk, evolutionary biologist and AEI nonresident fellow Carole K. Hooven delves into how testosterone impacts the body and brain, interacting with culture to create differences in human behavior — starting with why boys tend to prefer rougher play than girls.
August 30, 2024
Data Center Electricity Use V: Implications
Yesterday’s earnings announcement from Nvidia brings my data center electricity use series full circle: Its now-dominant data center segment increased revenue to $26.3 billion—more than 2½ times what that business generated a year earlier. Adjusted operating income for the quarter more than doubled year over year to $19.9 billion. Nvidia’s overall top and bottom lines beat Wall…
August 30, 2024
Lost in Space
More than 30 years ago I wrote a master’s thesis that evaluated NASA’s Space Shuttle program (you can read the publications that followed here and here). As I turned to my PhD dissertation, I decided to move on from human space flight. Over the years that followed I felt like there was something left unfinished from my work…
August 26, 2024
Bring Digital Twins Back to Earth
Abstract We reflect on the development of digital twins of the Earth, which we associate with a reductionist view of nature as a machine. The projects of digital twins deviate from contemporary scientific paradigms in the treatment of complexity and uncertainty, and does not engage with critical and interpretative social sciences. We contest the utility…
August 26, 2024
What Future for U.S.-China Science and Technology Collaboration?
On Tuesday this week the U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) is due to expire unless the U.S. and China can agree on its extension. Today I provide some background on the agreement, why it is now being debated, and my view on what should happen next. STAs are a common tool of science diplomacy. The…