Commentary
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Setting the Policy Agenda on Innovation Issues
- Alongside our in-depth policy reports, ITIF’s long-running Innovation Files blog serves as a forum where analysts provide quick takes, quips, and commentary on the latest in technology and innovation policy.
- Other blogs from ITIF include In the Arena, Rob Atkinson’s notes on the battle of ideas (also on Substack at policyarena.org), plus special series, such as The Brussels Effect, examining how the EU exports its regulatory agenda; Defending Digital, examining spurious critiques of the tech industry; and Innovate4Health, covering the intersection between intellectual property and life sciences innovation.
- ITIF analysts also frequently contribute op-eds and commentary pieces to leading publications around the world.
September 30, 2026|Blogs
Break the Pirates: Congress Should Allow Courts to Block Foreign Pirate Websites
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.
September 30, 2026|Blogs
Europe Should Double Down on Its Open-Source AI Bet
Europe cannot match the United States and China in closed AI models, but it has an opportunity to lead in open models. The EU should remove regulatory and procurement barriers and foster a global open-model ecosystem.
September 29, 2026|Blogs
Democrats Should Treat Data Centers Like Clean Energy
Democrats should approach data centers as they have clean-energy infrastructure: take legitimate local concerns seriously and mitigate their impacts without allowing opposition to become a blanket rejection of development. As AI drives growing demand for data centers, policymakers should balance community protections with the economic, technological, and clean-energy benefits these investments can provide.
September 28, 2026|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Bayh-Dole-enabled Technology Transfer Has Contributed Up to $1.7T to US GDP Since 1996
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.
September 24, 2026|Blogs
We Held the Ladder for the PRC, Only to be Thrown Off the Roof
The West held the ladder for the PRC, which is now trying to kick its competitors off the summit. If the United States wants any hope of regaining the top, it must start kicking away the PRC’s ladder by countering its unfair trade practices while building its own with a bold, robust national advanced industry strategy.
September 22, 2026|Blogs
The EU AI Act’s Costs to American Innovation
The EU AI Act disproportionately burdens U.S. AI firms with compliance costs and potential fines that could weaken U.S. competitiveness with China. Europe should simplify its regulatory framework and deepen cooperation with Washington to support innovation and economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
September 22, 2026|Blogs
Congress Should Make the CHIPS Act’s Investment Tax Credit Permanent
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.
September 22, 2026|Blogs
Don't Bring Back the Netflix Tax
Canada was right to scrap the streaming levy, which would have functioned as a consumption tax on Netflix and Disney+ subscribers without ensuring that the money supported Canadian shows they would actually watch.
September 21, 2026|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Chinese Firms Receive Three to Eight Times More Government Support Than OECD-Based Firms
Between 2005 and 2024, Chinese firms received, on average, three to eight times more government support than firms based in OECD economies, even while using conservative estimates.
September 18, 2026|Blogs
AI Kill Switches Won’t Solve the Rogue AI Problem
As AI systems gain greater autonomy, policymakers should prioritize research and safeguards that make dangerous behavior harder to initiate, easier to detect, and faster to contain. Emergency shutdown capabilities can be one useful tool in that effort, but a government‑mandated kill switch is neither universally feasible nor sufficient to address the broader challenges posed by autonomous AI.
