Artificial Intelligence

Join ITIF for a discussion on what new polling reveals about Americans' views on data centers and the implications for U.S. AI policy. Panelists will unpack the motivations behind public opinion, examine what widespread resistance to new data center development could mean for America's AI competitiveness, and explore policy approaches that address legitimate community concerns without sacrificing the infrastructure needed to support long-term U.S. leadership in AI.

Debate over AI’s workforce impact focuses too narrowly on whether it creates or eliminates jobs. Rather than impose new reporting requirements on businesses, policymakers should commission studies and expand existing surveys to capture how AI transforms work, not just changes in headcount.

Canada may reach its AI adoption target and still miss its promised productivity gains. Delivering those gains will require deep adoption by large firms, supported by regulatory certainty and stronger tax treatment for AI deployment.

Canada’s new AI strategy sets the right goal but focuses on the wrong problem: lowering costs when most firms struggle to identify valuable uses for AI. Ottawa should help businesses find and implement the right tools, not simply subsidize their purchase.

Labor-displacing technology can cause temporary pain, but that reflects progress. Suppressing it won’t protect workers; it’ll sacrifice productivity and growth.

Major agreements, new participants, and key diplomatic and industrial milestones in the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to secure global supply chains that underpin AI and other advanced technologies.

Policymakers are rushing to regulate AI chatbots. But they should carefully weigh the best approaches to enable safe usage while meaningfully protecting children from harm.

The U.S. economy runs on data centers, regardless of AI, and policymakers should not hold back AI adoption because of fears (reasonable or overblown) about water use. There are good solutions, if policymakers adopt them.

The temporary shutdown of Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the government's authority to restrict access to frontier AI models and the costs that uncertainty can impose on innovation and trust. To provide greater clarity for developers, customers, and allies, Congress should establish a transparent statutory framework for AI shutdown authority with clear standards and proportionate safeguards.

Montgomery County’s new data center moratorium will do little for the environment, but plenty to weaken growth, deter investment, and undermine the infrastructure powering AI.