Innovation Files Blog

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 should reject calls to intervene after the dismissal of Chegg’s and PMC’s antitrust lawsuits over Google’s AI-generated search summaries. Protecting businesses from the effects of technological change isn’t the same as promoting competition and innovation.

A recent study found that in 2025, 57 percent of the world’s top AI researchers received their undergraduate degrees in China, up from 46 percent in 2022.

At its core, the backlash against Flock has little to do with automated license plate readers. Instead, amid growing opposition to AI and federal law enforcement, Flock cameras have suffered from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads based on how its algorithms rank content, potentially expanding platform liability under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Instead of discouraging platforms from using these algorithms, policymakers should preserve knowledge-based liability protections and focus enforcement on the fraudsters responsible for scam ads.

The United States could pour an estimated $10.3 trillion into the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence between 2025 and 2032.

Developing common AI safety standards does not, by itself, undermine competition. Policymakers should not force companies to choose between competing vigorously and working together to prevent serious safety risks. Antitrust law should allow both.

Foreign online piracy causes significant economic harm to U.S. creative industries, yet American courts lack the authority to block foreign pirate sites. Congress should adopt carefully designed site-blocking legislation that targets large-scale piracy while minimizing the risk of overblocking.

Between 1996 and 2025, Bayh-Dole-enabled technology transfer from university and nonprofit research benefiting from federal funding contributed as much as $3.3 trillion to U.S. gross economic output, $1.7 trillion to gross domestic product, and 7.6 million job-years of employment.

The United States needs a strong domestic semiconductor manufacturing base to support economic growth, strengthen supply chains, and remain globally competitive. To sustain investment in new U.S. semiconductor facilities, policymakers should make the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit permanent.