Alex Ambrose

Protecting children online and preserving the benefits of a free, secure, and innovative digital world should not be competing goals. Australia should adopt policies that are narrowly targeted to demonstrable harms, provide companies with clear and workable compliance obligations, and preserve strong encryption for users of all ages.

As smart glasses become more widespread, concerns about privacy and surveillance are prompting calls for bans and new regulations. Rather than imposing technology-specific restrictions, policymakers should use existing laws to address misuse and strengthen privacy protections through comprehensive federal legislation.

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 GUARD Act would effectively ban minors from AI companions through broad age-verification requirements, raising concerns about free speech, privacy, parental authority, and the growing patchwork of state regulations. Instead, policymakers should focus on transparency, stronger parental controls, and other targeted safeguards that protect children without cutting them off from beneficial AI tools.

The NO FAKES Act would create a much-needed federal right of publicity to protect individuals from unauthorized digital replicas, but Congress should narrow the bill’s definition of “digital replica” to avoid unintentionally restricting legitimate uses and innovation, particularly in the video game industry.

The UK should resist the urge to regulate in haste. Protecting children online is essential, but protection should mean smarter design, stronger safety tools, and greater parental control, not blanket bans that remove technology from young people and choice from families.

Wearable AI improves safety and outcomes for both first responders and the public they serve. Broader adoption of wearable AI for the emergency services industry will protect the health of first responders, improve emergency response, and create safer communities.

Virginia’s one-hour social media limit for minors is a misguided policy that undermines parental authority, raises constitutional concerns, and fails to effectively address the real drivers of youth online harm.

Jonathan Haidt’s claims that smartphones and social media are the primary drivers of the youth mental health crisis overstate the evidence and ignore broader social, economic, and developmental factors. Rather than imposing blanket bans, policymakers should focus on teaching digital literacy and supporting age-appropriate, responsible technology use.

App store–level age verification laws pose privacy, security, and free-speech risks while leaving websites unregulated, whereas device-level, opt-in parental controls offer a more comprehensive and safer way to protect children online.

The UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban reflects a recurring moral panic about new technologies and would undermine youth connection, parental choice, and online privacy without evidence that blanket bans address the real causes of harms to children.

The U.S. is one of the few countries that doesn’t pay recording artists royalties when their music is played on AM/FM radio, and the American Music Fairness Act would close this loophole, ensuring artists are fairly compensated while leveling the playing field with streaming and satellite services.

Join the XR Association (XRA) and ITIF for a webinar discussing the real-world impact of immersive technology on teaching and learning—including how extended reality can deliver value for institutions, educators, and students.

Alex Ambrose speaks about chatbot legislation at a webinar hosted by the Future of Privacy Forum.

The sixth annual AR/VR Policy Conference presented by Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the XR Association will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Alex Ambrose speaks about children's safety on chatbots on the panel, "Who's Talking to Our Kids? Safety in the Age of AI," at the 2026 National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit in Chicago.

Alex Ambrose speaks about wearable AI in emergency response on the panel "Governance, Oversight, and Accountability in Technology Enabled Emergency Management," hosted by the NALEO Institute on Technology and AI in Emergency Management.

Watch now for a discussion on recently introduced chatbot safety bills up for debate in Congress, including the GUARD Act and CHATBOT Act, and what policymakers, parents, and platforms could do to protect children without bans.

ITIF’s spring seminar course explores core emerging technologies and issues that are reshaping our world and, in the process, creating public policy challenges and opportunities. The course is open to congressional and federal staff only.

Watch now for a panel discussion examining the global movement to ban social media for youth, the tradeoffs these policies present, and alternative approaches that balance safety, rights, and the realities of growing up in a digital world.

Alex Ambrose speaks about navigating the risks and rewards of AI in marketing at Kids Industry Connect: A Children's Advertising and Privacy Summit, hosted by BBB National Programs.

Alex Ambrose presents at a webinar co-hosted by XR Access and XRA.

The fifth annual AR/VR Policy Conference presented by ITIF and the XR Association took place on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. Watch the conference livestream.

Alex Ambrose presents at Congreso Internacional Estrategia Legal (CIEL) Talks, hosted by Instituto OMG.