Center for Data Innovation
ITIF’s Center for Data Innovation formulates and promotes pragmatic public policies designed to maximize the benefits of data-driven innovation in the public and private sectors. It educates policymakers and the public about the opportunities and challenges associated with data, as well as technology trends such as open data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. For more, get the Center’s weekly emails and visit datainnovation.org.
Featured Publications
Click Here for Adderall: Fixing Telehealth Advertising and Services To Prevent Stimulant Misuse

Policymakers should both make permanent many of the COVID-19 era policies that allow medical providers to see patients remotely and enact provisions allowing for the practice of telemedicine over state lines. However, policymakers should also take further steps to ensure that telehealth providers offer and abide by the same standard of care as in-person treatment.
The Effect of International Proposals for Monitoring Obligations on End-To-End Encryption

European and U.S. policymakers have proposed imposing monitoring obligations on Internet intermediaries to improve online safety. Despite their best efforts, these proposals risk undermining users’ privacy by eliminating the use of end-to-end encryption. Therefore, policymakers should not pursue them.
Events
June 21, 2023
How Can the Global South Benefit from AI Innovation?
Join ITIF's Center for Data Innovation for a discussion about AI, jobs, and digital development in the Global South.
June 6, 2023
Does the US Need a New AI Regulator?
Watch the Center for Data Innovation and R Street's webinar where they discussed the potential costs and benefits of creating a new AI regulator in the United States, the extent to which regulators can address AI risks today, and what additional tools or resources might be necessary to hold companies accountable for their use of AI.
May 2, 2023
What Should Congress Include in The Next National Quantum Initiative Act?
Watch the panel discussion on what the NQIA got right, where there is room for improvement, and what policymakers should do next.
April 6, 2023
What Are the Consequences of Backdoors for Online Privacy?
Join ITIF’s Center for Data Innovation to discuss the potential benefits and costs of end-to-end encryption and what law enforcement access to user data could look like in the future.
March 21, 2023
AI-Generated Art: Boom or Bust for Human Creativity?
Join the Center for Data Innovation for a discussion on how generative AI works, how artists are using these tools, and whether AI-generated art will be a boom or bust for human creativity.
Staff
More From the Center
June 9, 2023|Blogs
Taxing Robots Would Hurt, Not Help, American Workers
A robot tax is a misguided policy that would inhibit productivity growth that could otherwise make U.S. companies more competitive, create higher-paying jobs, and improve quality of life for all Americans.
June 2, 2023|Blogs
States Should Welcome the World’s First Actual Robot Lawyer
As generative AI continues to rapidly improve in terms of its performance and capabilities, it is clear the technology will have important uses in many sectors. Despite its potential, the legal sector continues to resist AI in order to protect lawyers rather than integrating it as quickly as possible to benefit clients.
June 2, 2023|Blogs
Preparing for an AI Apocalypse Is as Preposterous as Preparing for an Alien Invasion
Several AI industry leaders and researchers signed an outlandish statement this week claiming AI systems pose an existential risk to humanity and urging policymakers to prepare for them with the same urgency they give nuclear war and pandemics. Their doomy predictions are nothing more than catastrophizing, but unfortunately, such hyperbolic claims fan the flames of AI fears and detract from productive discussions on how to ensure AI is developed and deployed in ways that serve society.
June 2, 2023|Testimonies & Filings
Comments to the Competition and Markets Authority on AI Foundation Models
On behalf of the Center for Data Innovation, the following are comments regarding the
Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) initial review of foundation models, their competitive
market and use cases, and principles that can guide their development and adoption.
May 30, 2023|Blogs
Supporting Robotics Adoption Would Boost the US Economy
As more companies use robots, many worry about the effect of automation on workers. The good news is that robots bring many benefits to both companies and workers. In fact, encouraging robot innovation and adoption supports the U.S. workforce and economy in four ways.
May 15, 2023|Blogs
Senator Schumer Should Maintain Resolve in the US Approach to AI Regulation
In response to China announcing draft regulations for generative AI to bolster the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on global AI rules, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled a proposal last month to regulate AI in the United States. Senator Schumer should keep faith in—and advocate for—a light-touch approach to AI regulation because it provides a much-needed counter to the heavy-handed regulatory approach from China and the EU.
May 11, 2023|Blogs
U.S. Policymakers Should Learn From Countries Choosing Not to Regulate AI
The list of U.S. policymakers calling for new laws to regulate AI is growing. And one reason they may take this position is because of how vocal European and Chinese policymakers have been about regulating AI, creating the false perception that new laws are necessary and inevitable. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the UK and India say they have no intention of proposing new legislation; U.S. policymakers should heed this alternative view.