So many conversations in Silicon Valley giddily talk about AI as a miraculous force for good. Sometimes you have to temper the enthusiasm. youtu.be/y81IfY-Cc1U?...
Live from Stanford Health AI Week
YouTube video by Stanford Online
youtu.be
Arati Prabhakar
@aratip.bsky.social
Advocating for science & technology for our future. Former Assistant to the President for Science and Technology; Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
“Protopian.” A new word created to describe “an achievable, optimistic future characterized by continuous, incremental progress rather than revolutionary leaps or a static, perfect state.” There’s a new fiction prize to inspire protopian futures, and I am delighted to help judge.
Metagov@metagov.bsky.social · 5mo agoJoin us for our official launch event on Wednesday, April 22nd at 12pm EST! We’ll be introducing the prize, hosts & planning committee, our esteemed judges, and answering any questions you might have. Register here: luma.com/sygvk1ms
When was the last time you saw this kind of agreement across Ds and Rs? (1) It’s Trump who wants to gut science, not his voters. (2) Come the next chapter, the American people can build robust, vigorous, world-leading science and technology to heal and move forward together again. Pew link below.
Creating change is hard work, but it’s possible to get it done.
Costa Samaras@costasamaras.com · 2y agoOn the first floor of the EEOB on the White House Campus, is Room 180, which former VPs used as an office. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. met with the VP here to advocate for voting rights legislation, & then went to the West Wing. After Bloody Sunday, & more meetings, the voting rights act got done.
@maurareynolds.bsky.social and @politico.com are keeping an eye out for black swans - even beyond what is happening today. I appreciated the opportunity to add one to the list: the humanoid robots are coming. What could possibly go wrong?
15 Scenarios That Could Stun the World in 2026
Futurists, political analysts and other forecasters on the possible “Black Swan” events of the new year.
politico.com
@asad09.bsky.social and I call for better AI ambitions, beyond just business productivity. That will take forward government action and investment, not destruction. A future with new medicines for intractable diseases, better K-12 education, and improved weather forecasts is at stake.
America Needs Better AI Ambitions | TechPolicy.Press
Arati Prabhakar and Asad Ramzanali say we are caught between fantastical claims and leaders deferring to industry without the imagination to drive progress.
techpolicy.press
This is smart — clean data, research money and safety www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Trump Is Taking 3 Steps Backward in the AI Race
The administration needs to shift focus away from providing chips and datacenters to the world’s richest companies.
politico.com
Good chat with @aarontmak.bsky.social about our POLITICO Magazine oped on the Trump AI doctrine. Helping big tech companies build chatbots while destroying government capacity isn’t how we win. Congress has a role to play to restore datasets and R&D and to make AI safe and effective for people.
Trump may be undermining his own AI goals
politico.com
Trump’s latest order on AI—which he says is “inspired by the legacy of the Apollo Program” is a meh step forward — following three giant leaps backwards. @asad09.bsky.social and I wrote about how far off it is from what it takes for America to win.
Trump Is Taking Three Steps Backward in the AI Race
The administration needs to shift focus away from providing chips and datacenters to the world’s richest companies.
politico.com
The Trump Administration is on the wrong track for AI — not managing AI risks and not pursuing aspirational AI applications. I spoke with Fast Company about where we are.
'Huge red flag': Top Biden tech adviser warns of AI and the authoritarian moment
Arati Prabhakar talks to Fast Company about what the rise of artificial intelligence will mean for the future of democracy.
fastcompany.com
This cuts through the noise (so much noise) to highlight what’s at stake as science and technology, the rule of law, and immigration are damaged and undermined by this administration.
Opinion | America’s Formula for Greatness Is Under Threat
nytimes.com
I never imagined I’d need to turn to our judicial system to explain the importance of America’s scientific research, but here we are. Thanks to @BrennanCenter.org for highlighting my amicus brief 1/2
Harms of the Federal Funding Freeze on Science
A venture capitalist and former White House science adviser discusses the impact of the Trump administration’s attempted funding freeze on the future of research and innovation.
brennancenter.org
I have an essay in MIT @techreview today showing how “Trump’s AI Action Plan is a Distraction”—his administration is gutting the very policies that built US AI leadership. www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/24/1...
Trump’s AI Action Plan is a distraction
Despite a flurry of actions this week to extend AI leadership, the White House is dismantling the very advantages that established America’s global lead in AI in the first place.
technologyreview.com
Bird flu. Overdose. Fewer vaccines. Polluted air and water. Contaminated food. A suicide crisis made worse. Cancer research shut down. Trump has damaged the health of Americans in so many ways that it’s hard to get your head around it all. Thank you @shwoolf.bsky.social for making it clear.
Opinion | How to Wreck the Nation’s Health, by the Numbers (Gift Article)
The administration's cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services are going to do irreparable harm to the nation’s health.
nytimes.com
“All the chaos hasn’t changed the fact that America’s aspirations are as great as they’ve ever been.” I spoke to the @berkeleyischool.bsky.social about U.S. science and technology leadership, and how the Trump destruction of our S&T ecosystem isn’t just a science thing. It’s about our future.
The Stakes Are High: Science & Technology for Our Future
Apr 2, 2025, 4:00 pm - Dr. Arati Prabhakar’s insights into the federal commitment to science and technology and the future of America’s challenges and aspirations.
ischool.berkeley.edu
I can’t stop thinking about the courage it took for NIH employees to sign this strong, clear letter dissenting from the disastrous actions of this administration. If they can stand up, so can the rest of us.
NIH scientists risk careers to protest cuts, political interference in public health research
In a rare public stand, 92 NIH scientists signed the Bethesda Declaration, condemning sweeping grant cuts and politicization under Trump leadership.
nbcnewyork.com
@peoplescabinet.bsky.social is great place to tell it like it is.
The People's Cabinet@peoplescabinet.bsky.social · last yr.“The damage being done is generational in nature.” Former White House Chief Science & Tech Advisor Dr. Arati Prabhakar warns: Trump is “gutting this capacity we’ve built over 80 years” to support U.S. innovation. 🎧 Full episode: linktr.ee/peoplescabinet
“The damage being done is generational in nature.” Former White House Chief Science & Tech Advisor Dr. Arati Prabhakar warns: Trump is “gutting this capacity we’ve built over 80 years” to support U.S. innovation. 🎧 Full episode: linktr.ee/peoplescabinet
“We don’t get to live in precedented times.” I spoke to the graduates of the Berkeley School of Information this week about rising to meet the extraordinary challenges and opportunities ahead. @berkeleyischool.bsky.social Watch here:
UC Berkeley School of Information 2025 Commencement
YouTube video by Berkeley School of Information
youtube.com
On Monday, we welcomed 372 of 659 total graduating students to the historic Greek Theatre for Commencement. During the event, we had student speakers and our keynote speaker Arati Prabhakar speak about collective action for a brighter future. Recap: www.ischool.berkeley.edu/news/2024/20...
At 2025 Commencement, Speakers Call for Collective Action and Embrace Ambiguity
On May 19, 2025, the School of Information welcomed 372 of 659 total graduating students from the Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS), the Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS)...
ischool.berkeley.edu
All of our voices are needed now. I joined Senators @cantwell.senate.gov and @vanhollen.senate.gov, France Córdova, Dean Chang, @marvimatos.bsky.social, and Ananth Kalyanaraman for a press conference calling out what the draconian Trump budget and current DOGE destruction mean. #AcademicSky
Roundtable discussion on importance of federal investment in science
YouTube video by Commerce Dems
youtu.be
Job one in turning the tide on the destruction of the science and technology that generations of Americans before us have built: explaining it! @rhersher.bsky.social does a great job. #AcademicSky
Where does your weather forecast come from?
Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
npr.org
The Trump EPA has been dilly-dallying around on a rule to protect 100M Americans from PFAS in drinking water to save >100K lives. And, they pulled a pending rule to limit PFAS discharge by manufacturers. Now comes a Trump executive order that highlights the dangers of PFAS—in paper straws.
For Trump, Chemicals in Straws Are a Crisis. In Water, Maybe Less So. | Arati Prabhakar
Might a culture-war stunt from the Trump White House inadvertently help make your drinking water safer? In April 2024, under the prior administration, EPA finalized a rule to eliminate PFAS ”forever ...
linkedin.com
I like the optimism of “Abundance,” but it’s not a big enough vision quite yet. True abundance would mean building without having to sacrifice environmental goals or equity or other things that matter deeply in people’s lives.
In Defense of Everything-Bagel Liberalism | Washington Monthly | Arati Prabhakar
I like the optimism of “Abundance,” but it’s not a big enough vision quite yet. True abundance would mean building without having to sacrifice environmental goals or equity or other things that matter...
linkedin.com
Another tragic irony of the destruction of our premier measuring and modeling weather and climate apparatus is that we’ll have only junk old-school data training our premier AI. Without solid data and expert people, no tech is jazzy enough to save us when the storms hit. 🧪
White House Proposal Could Gut Climate Modeling the World Depends On
Potential funding cuts for NOAA and its research partners threaten irreparable harm not only to climate research but to American safety, competitiveness, and national security.
propublica.org