February 10, 2025
The Specter of a Trade War
I haven’t written about tariffs at all, leaving it to Scott Lincicome to cover the ins and outs of tariff policy for Dispatch readers. But with the escalating trade war and a lot of open questions, I thought I would take a crack at trying to steelman President Donald Trump’s tariffs. While his rhetoric often seems impulsive, Trump’s push for tariffs…
February 7, 2025
Lessons from China’s DeepSeek: A Wake-Up Call for AI Innovation
In just a week, DeepSeek’s latest reasoning model erased a trillion dollars in market value, sparked new security concerns, and upended conventional wisdom about AI development. This forced policymakers and tech leaders to confront the implications of an affordable, high-performance model created by a geopolitical competitor. Chinese startup DeepSeek unveiled DeepSeek-R1, an advanced LLM that matches…
February 6, 2025
When Anti-Press Ascendancy Meets FCC Public Interest Regulation
Let’s start with an understatement: President Donald Trump isn’t happy with the way most American journalists are doing their jobs. During a December press conference, he proclaimed “we have to straighten out the press. Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections.” About six weeks earlier, Trump sued CBS, trying to straighten it out. The complaint…
February 5, 2025
Age Verification Laws vs. Parental Controls: Why the Legislatures, Courts, and Tech Aren’t on the Same Page
Technology is an integral part of our daily lives. Whether we connect with friends, seek instant information, or find entertainment, the online world is intricately woven into our life experiences. However, policymakers are encountering an increasing number of parents demanding regulations as their answer to protect America’s children. Some lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures…
February 5, 2025
The Innovation Imperative: Crossing the Valley of Death
Millions of Americans face diseases that lack treatment options, while many more face impairments in independence as a result of inadequately treated medical conditions. Innovation in the life sciences offers the opportunity to cure debilitating illnesses as well as to promote independence and increased convenience of care delivery. However, pharmaceutical and medical device innovation each…
February 3, 2025
My AI Advisers: Lessons from a Year of Expert Digital Assistants
Earlier this month, Ezra Klein reflected on how, despite recognizing AI’s enormous potential, he found no practical place for it in his daily routine. He echoed what I’ve heard from many people: Even after trying various GenAI tools, they didn’t see a strong reason to keep returning to them. It’s understandable because unlocking the real value in…
January 29, 2025
Deepseek’s AI Breakthroughs Don’t Change the Fundamentals—but They Are a Warning
China’s AI ambitions have long been hamstrung by a critical weakness: access to high-end computing hardware. US export controls have effectively cut Beijing off from the most advanced AI chips, putting a hard ceiling on its ability to compete at the highest level. But that hasn’t stopped China from trying to work around these limitations….
January 29, 2025
Questions Kennedy Must Answer, According to Experts
Ahead of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings, New York Times Opinion invited experts and leaders across disciplines and ideologies to share questions they believe Mr. Kennedy must answer before serving in a role that oversees a $1.7 trillion budget and wields enormous influence over drug approvals, public health and the nation’s research agenda. M….
January 29, 2025
On the Front Porch with Brent Orrell and Tony Pipa: A Conversation with Benji Backer and Michelle Moore
Event Description The tensions between development and sustainability and production and conservation, combined with the ongoing debate over energy sources, have taken center stage in recent years. Join us for the next installment of the “On the Front Porch” series as AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa talk with Michelle Moore of…
January 28, 2025
Federal R&D Funding Is Even More Valuable Than Washington Thinks
It’s a no-brainer that American public policy should aim to significantly increase both government and private-sector R&D investment to boost innovation-driven productivity and economic growth. During the 1960s Space Race, total US R&D spending reached just under three percent of GDP, with government leading at two percent and business at one percent, basically. Today’s R&D is over…