Publications: Joshua New

The maxim “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” has never been so relevant. The failure to effectively leverage data has undoubtedly cost many lives and caused severe social and economic damage to communities ravaged by opioid addiction.

Growing animus toward “Big Tech” companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation engenders support for policies that are expressly designed to inhibit it. That is deeply problematic for future progress, prosperity, and competitiveness.

Policymakers should recognize that the potential of data-driven drug development is crucial to the well-being of Americans as well as U.S. competitiveness, and develop policies to accelerate this transformation.

The Center for Data Innovation filed comments in response to a request for information from the Office of Management and Budget on identifying priority access or quality improvements for federal data and models for artificial intelligence (AI) research and development (R&D) and testing.

Robust technical standards for AI will be crucial to the success of the technology in the United States and abroad because they can serve as authoritative guidelines and benchmarks for the development and evaluation of AI. But concerns about the oversight of AI have stymied productive discussions about standards development by causing policymakers to prioritize oversight at the expense of technical understanding.

In an op-ed for The Hill, Daniel Castro and Joshua New write that the administration’s executive order launching the “American AI Initiative” is a welcome step towards boosting U.S. competitiveness in AI, but it does not go far enough.

Regulators can provide effective oversight of automated systems so as to both protect consumers and allow innovation to flourish.

The United States is the global leader in developing and using artificial intelligence (AI), but it may not be for long. Succeeding in AI requires more than just having leading companies make investments. It requires a healthy ecosystem of AI companies, robust AI inputs—including skills, research, and data—and organizations that are motivated and free to use AI.

NITRD’s National AI R&D Strategic Plan is a valuable opportunity to help the United States maintain its competitive edge in the absence of a broader national AI strategy.