Category: intelligence

Artificial intelligence is widely recognized as a linchpin of modernization. Yet, as federal agencies increasingly look to integrate AI into their operations, the stumbling blocks are not technological. It’s failures in procurement practices that, if not avoided, undermine the potential of AI. Two high-profile government automation projects offer cautionary tales. Each reveal how even well-funded… Continue reading AI Won’t Outrun Bad Procurement

On any given night, countless teenagers confide in artificial intelligence chatbots—sharing their loneliness, anxiety, and despair with a digital companion who is always there and never judgmental. A survey by Common Sense Media published in July found that 72 percent (PDF) of American teenagers said they had used A.I. chatbots as companions. Nearly one-eighth had… Continue reading Teens Are Using Chatbots as Therapists. That’s Alarming

Melanie Zaber studies everything from the rise of artificial intelligence to apprenticeship programs in rural Appalachia. Her goal is straightforward: to help more Americans find meaningful work and a path to the middle class. Her latest projects have taken her to West Virginia. She’s working with state leaders there to shape new training programs, new… Continue reading Five Questions: Melanie Zaber on Making It in the Middle Class

This commentary was originally published by The National Interest on September 17, 2025. As the United States races to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and accelerate electrification, the nation faces a significant challenge: ensuring its aging power grid can keep pace with rapidly escalating energy demands. To respond to this challenge, incentives are needed… Continue reading To Meet AI Energy Demands, Start with Maximizing the Power Grid

State and local governments are experimenting with artificial intelligence but lack systematic approaches to scale these efforts effectively and integrate AI into government operations. Instead, efforts have been piecemeal and slow, leaving many practitioners struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving uses of AI for transforming governance and policy implementation. While some state and local… Continue reading How to Scale Up AI in Government

Disaster losses are rising, and the stakes are high for reducing risk. Artificial intelligence (AI) promises new ways to spot danger sooner, coordinate relief more quickly, and save lives and property. But AI doesn’t just drop neatly into a command center. To matter in practice, it must be shaped to the messy realities of emergency… Continue reading How AI Is Changing Our Approach to Disasters

On the first overseas trip of his second term, President Trump inked high-profile artificial intelligence (AI) agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. Notably, they authorized the sale of advanced American semiconductor chips to the two Gulf states, a move enabled by Trump’s rollback of the Biden-era AI Diffusion Rule that had… Continue reading How Washington Could Leverage Its Gulf AI Deals

The electrical grid is a complex system that is managed for reliability above all else—in no small part because it supports other life-sustaining services like water systems and telecommunications. Increasingly, though, electric utilities are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help manage power demand and assist in decisionmaking. While this has the potential to enhance… Continue reading The U.S. Power Grids Need AI Disclosure Requirements

When OpenAI released its newest AI models o3 and o4-mini in April, its president Greg Brockman made an intriguing claim: “These are the first models where top scientists tell us they produce legitimately good and useful novel ideas.” If AI can indeed make scientific discoveries, that would not only have practical impacts for society but… Continue reading We’ll Be Arguing for Years Whether Large Language Models Can Make New Scientific Discoveries