This wk, @joellthayer.bsky.social & I filed an amicus brief in the U.S. v. Google appeal. A federal court found Google unlawfully maintained its search monopoly, then denied remedies commensurate with the problem because genAI might discipline that monopoly (what can't AI do?!). 1/4

Graduates are booing AI as they face the risk of it decimating the job market. In the Depression, the Works Progress Administration put millions to work. As @ganeshsitaraman.bsky.social & I argue, Congress should start prototyping a new WPA. vanderbiltpolicyaccelerator.substack.com/p/the-case-f...

The Case for a New Works Progress Administration

Right now, roughly four million students are walking across stages at the nearly four thousand colleges around the U.S.

vanderbiltpolicyaccelerator.substack.com

Anthropic, OpenAI & Google control foundation models nearly every AI app is built on. And they're building, buying & investing in apps that compete with their customers. Tom Wheeler & I argue model providers should be barred from unjust discrimination. www.brookings.edu/articles/to-...

To unleash AI innovation, stop model providers from picking the winners | Brookings

Asad Ramzanali and Tom Wheeler explain why competition is the best route to the future of inventive AI applications.

brookings.edu

this is excellent work by @nathaliemarechal.net

Tech Policy Press@techpolicypress.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Tech policy used to be a relatively bipartisan field, writes Dr. Nathalie Maréchal. But positions that would be defensible in a different political context aren’t at this time, she says, arguing that regardless of where you sit in industry, government or civil society, the time to choose is now.

Risky financial maneuvers and mountains of debt mean the AI economy is in trouble, says Vanderbilt’s Asad Ramzanali (@asad09.bsky.social). America needs to get ready, writes @anne-s-kim.bsky.social.

An AI Crash Is Coming. What Then?

Risky financial maneuvers and mountains of debt mean the AI economy is in trouble, says Vanderbilt’s Asad Ramzanali.

washingtonmonthly.com

I spoke to Asad Ramzanali from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation about his new report, "After the AI Crash," which argues that if the AI bubble bursts it will represent a significant policy opportunity for tech reform. Listen: www.techpolicy.press/what-to-do-i...

The right policy approach to AI isn't do-nothing or wait-and-see; it's resilience. @ganeshsitaraman.bsky.social & I lay out a proactive, structural strategy across the economy, society, & nat sec in a paper published by Rand. Summary: vanderbiltpolicyaccelerator.substack.com/p/resilience...

Resilience as a Policy Approach for AI

Different camps of AI commenters—accelerationists, doomers, pragmatists, and populists—have strong but diverging views about the future of AI.

vanderbiltpolicyaccelerator.substack.com

The techs we collectively call AI have use cases, but policy should be about solving problems in the public interest, not identifying ways to deploy specific technologies just for the sake of doing so. Yet that’s *still* how so many of these convos are framed. It’s exhausting. And harmful.

Similarly, referring to “AI” as an actor rather than a tool serves to absolve people and institutions of accountability. I’m struck by how many so-called leaders seem happy to treat widespread “AI” adoption as a fait accompli, an act of God or natural phenomenon that can’t be contested, only managed

For months, financiers, policymakers, & technologists have warned about an AI bubble as trillions in investment chase billions in revenue. But almost no one is asking what to do after it bursts. My new paper lays out how a crash might happen & bold proposals for after the crash.

People assume that gov’t inaction is the best policy strategy to support Little Tech. We pulled together conservative, progressives, LT companies, investors and found 7 discrete fed. & state policies to support Little Tech that could garner bipartisan and industry support.

I’ve got a new report w/ Akhil Rajan recommending AI Neutrality. Anthropic, OpenAI, Google control ~90% of AI model API revenues. They also compete with their customers, creating unavoidable conflicts of interest and opportunities to abuse power. cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-URL/wp-co...

🚨 Watch Live at Noon. "Tech Policy in 2026: Congressional 2nd Session Preview" 📅 Wed. Jan. 28 ⏰ 12 pm 📍 Rayburn House Office Building 📺 Video bit.ly/techpolicy2026 @asad09.bsky.social @lehogg.bsky.social @netchoice.bsky.social

Starting 2026 with a new @techpolicypress.bsky.social piece, I spoke with leading voices in AI governance on what’s truly at stake this year: power, accountability, and democratic control. www.techpolicy.press/expert-predi... @hlntnr.bsky.social @asad09.bsky.social @adambillen.bsky.social

Expert Predictions on What’s at Stake in AI Policy in 2026 | TechPolicy.Press

Public Citizen's J.B. Branch and Ilana Beller invited predictions from multiple policy experts about what to expect on AI policy in the year ahead.

techpolicy.press

Digging up roads is 75–90% of the cost of deploying broadband, yet we keep excavating again & again. A smarter approach: install conduit when roads are open. @bendinovelli.bsky.social and my new paper explains why most Dig Once policies fall short & how to fix them cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-URL/wp-co...

@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

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

New essay in Politico today w/ @aratip.bsky.social on how Trump's “Genesis Mission” is one small step forward after giant leaps backward. The Trump AI doctrine really just boils down to boosting friendly tech companies. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

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

🚨Call for policy proposals If AI adoption is not slowing down, policy governing safety and security practices needs to speed up. This is where you come in.

The latest ClickHere podcast episode connects the grassroots protests outside data centers to the monopolistic businesses practices inside. I appreciated the opportunity to contribute to this thoughtful reporting. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The people vs. the cloud

Podcast Episode · Click Here · 10/28/2025 · 26m

podcasts.apple.com

This is excellent.

Anil Dash@anildash.com · 10mo ago

Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!

A few trillion-dollar companies now comprise an AI oligopoly. Nvidia's announcement to invest $100B in OpenAI makes things worse. As I say in TIME, vertical integration is about money, control, and power. Policymakers should reject such combinations. time.com/7322418/chat...

We Need to Break Up Big AI Before It Breaks Us

When the same few companies own the entire tech stack, they stop competing and start colluding.

time.com

We're introducing a new section today called Big Ideas, exploring next-generation solutions for pressing policy problems. Today James Baratta looks at a new report on how to structure the cloud computing industry. prospect.org/power/2025-0...

AI’s $600 Billion Blind Spot

A new report offers a legislative road map for creating a competitive and secure cloud computing market, without forcing policymakers to reinvent the wheel.

prospect.org

Thank you to @prospect.org for featuring my paper, How to Regulate the Cloud. Their focus on the market as “AI’s $600 Billion Blind Spot” brings attention to an ignored part of the AI policy debate. Grateful to see this important conversation gaining wider attention.

The American Prospect@prospect.org · 11mo ago

The market for cloud computing is huge, but policymakers should pay attention to a new report that shows them how to address the market’s failures and the national-security risks they create. From James Baratta: trib.al/tTK5pda

The market for cloud computing is huge, but policymakers should pay attention to a new report that shows them how to address the market’s failures and the national-security risks they create. From James Baratta: trib.al/tTK5pda

AI’s $600 Billion Blind Spot

A new report offers a legislative road map for creating a competitive and secure cloud computing market, without forcing policymakers to reinvent the wheel.

trib.al

The cloud computing industry is rife with market failures, and it poses risks to national security. In a new paper, I show how to fix the cloud before it fails us. cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-URL/wp-co...

“Between May 2023 and November 2024, only 27.2% of total ChatGPT application downloads are estimated to have come from women. Similarly low shares of mobile downloads by women were seen on Anthropic’s Claude and Perplexity.”

The Large Gender Gap in Who Uses AI

A recent study finds that AI usage tilts heavily toward men. Part of the reason: Women worried they might be penalized for using AI.

wsj.com

@ganeshsitaraman.bsky.social and I have a new piece in Commonplace, “No Handouts for Data Centers.” Research shows that subsidizing sports stadium construction doesn't pay off. Now states are subsidizing data centers. That won't work either. www.commonplace.org/p/no-handout...

No Handouts for Data Centers

They don’t work for stadiums, and they won’t work for AI.

commonplace.org

My new @science.org editorial on the role of scientists in defending democracy is out today. As authoritarianism takes hold in the US, we must fight for the democratic principles that enable a free society and scientists have a key role. I hope you'll join us. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Scientists’ role in defending democracy

The United States’ democratic leadership, commitment to freedom of expression, and investment in the pursuit of knowledge have long enabled its preeminence in science and technology. Yet today we are ...

science.org