December 2, 2024
AI and the Future of Civics
In a nation where less than half of adults can name all three branches of government, a quarter cannot name even a single branch, and roughly 26 percent cannot name any First Amendment freedoms, America’s civic literacy crisis has reached a critical point. Equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of government structures and the legislative process is essential to fostering an…
November 27, 2024
Searching for (AI) Safety
This year saw a new battleground in data regulation open with California’s Senate Bill (SB) 1047, which passed the California State Legislature but was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom. SB 1047 can be called the first AI safety bill. AI safety is a nascent field of study that is focused on ensuring that artificial intelligence systems…
November 26, 2024
AI Governance: From Fears and Fearmongering to Risks and Rewards
To better understand issues affecting governance over (and guardrails for) the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, it’s essential to step outside of one’s own research niche and listen to diverse and distinguished experts from the United States and abroad debate the matters. For me, that meant moving beyond examining First Amendment issues…
November 22, 2024
Examining Federal Broadband Policies: Highlights from an Expert Panel
On September 27, AEI hosted an event on federal broadband policies, featuring a conversation between AEI’s Mark Jamison and the Federal Communications Commission’s Brendan Carr and a panel featuring INCOMPAS’s Angie Kronenberg, AEI’s Daniel Lyons, Bonfire Infrastructure Group’s Jade Piros de Carvalho, and Technology Policy Institute’s Scott J. Wallsten. The group set out to discuss…
November 22, 2024
The Case for a Smarter Antitrust Policy
As Donald Trump prepares to begin his second term, his administration must change the direction of America’s antitrust policy. Over the past four years, antitrust enforcement has become unmoored from its economic foundations, driven instead by ideological zeal and political opportunism. The result? A policy that leaves businesses in limbo, consumers worse off, and innovation at…
November 21, 2024
AI and the Future of Civics (with Adam Hinds, Michael Champigny, and Will Foster-Nolan)
In an era when civic literacy is at concerning lows, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate’s Senate Immersion Module (SIM) is revolutionizing civic education by transforming students into senators for a day, complete with an innovative AI policy simulation. What can experiential learning reveal about students’ capacity to engage with complex…
November 19, 2024
In Support of Science Policy: My Long-Read Q&A with Tony Mills
The US government has acted as major contributor to science research since the mid-20th century, both in terms of broad basic research and targeted projects. As industrial policy has gained traction, especially during the Biden Administration, the distinction between industrial and science policy has become increasingly obscure. Hybrid policies like the CHIPS and Science Act have spurred…
November 19, 2024
The Supreme Court Misses a Chance to Clarify Press Freedom for Gathering News via New Technologies
The US Supreme Court declined last month in National Press Photographers Association v. Higgins to hear a First Amendment challenge to a Texas law that restricts journalists’ newsgathering abilities by criminalizing using drones to take and display images “of an individual or privately owned real property.” Property owners and tenants also may file civil actions under the statute. As…
November 19, 2024
Political and Regulatory Boundaries in Telecommunications
A well-established tenet of practitioners and academics is that well-functioning competitive markets require a stable and predictable legal framework. If this is not present because policies are unclear, politicians interfere in regulatory processes, or courts engage in activist decision-making, then efficient markets will not develop. Companies will not have the confidence to invest in new…
November 18, 2024
Taking a Swing at the Size and Cost of Government
When people talk about Illinois politics, they often reference Chicago. But when Chicagoans talk about politics, they talk about Springfield, the state capital where I was born and raised. Quite literally, I grew up in the shadow of politics. As a kid, I’d often bike to the statehouse just to relax beneath the statue of Lincoln. …