Episode #508: Taming Technology Policy — Interview with Jennifer Huddleston

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SHOW SUMMARY: Ron and Ed welcome another CATO Institute scholar, Jennifer Huddleston, to the show to discuss the effects of technology policy on innovation and economic growth. Jennifer will also share her insights about the anti-trust case against Google as well and the effects of technology regulation at the state, federal, and even international level.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

• Just in the last week, we have seen questions related to online speech and various questions related to antitrust which could extend beyond technology, as well as questions related to AI and the exciting developments. Jennifer has been busy!

• Re: the TikTok oral arguments this past week, Jennifer is watching the standard of review that the court will apply. Is it going to be intermediate scrutiny or is it going to be strict scrutiny.

• When we talk about the Tick Tock case, it's important to recognize you had two separate arguments brought by the plaintiffs. You have a case being brought by TikTok itself and then you have a case being brought by a group of content creators who are American citizens.

• When thinking about the TikTok case, it's important to remember that this is much bigger than one particular app. This is really teeing up some key questions around the potential of the government to intervene in online speech

Segment two

• Is AI our final invention? “I don't think so. I think it's a very exciting invention. […] I actually am very excited about AI and it's been around a lot longer than we realize.” —Jennifer Huddleston

• TIL about several AI medical applications from Jennifer: AI is being used in the medical field as an additional tool for a doctor to identify really personalized medicine for cancer patients and to help stroke victims get their voices back.

• “I’m a millennial, and I think for many of us AI is the first real disruption in technology that we've experienced because we were still young when the internet came about. We were just emerging as adults or as college students when smartphones came about.” —Jennifer Huddleston

• Jennifer wrote a GREAT article in August called “Is a State AI Patchwork Next? AI Legislation at a State Level in 2024”. Here is the link: https://www.cato.org/blog/state-ai-patchwork-next-ai-legislation-state-level-2024

Segment three

• “Traditionally, the US has had a very light touch approach to innovation. But in part for various reasons, we are seeing the question of what we need in an AI framework and do we need some sort of AI framework at a federal level.” —Jennifer Huddleston

• One of the examples that's often pointed to is the ATM. There was a lot of fear when ATMs first came about and what would this mean for teller jobs. So is this the kind of end of the bank teller job? There are now more bank tellers than there were before ATMs

• Jennifer introduced me to the “Brussels effect” today. The idea that when Europe acts — because of the size of their market — for many large companies, it's easier to apply one standard globally. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_effect

• I love the techno-optimism! “Oftentimes we're hearing only the negative when it comes to technology and we're not hearing as much about the benefits about the positive use cases.” —Jennifer Huddleston

Segment four

• “When we're talking about the use of AI, I always hate the question, “How often do you use AI?” I always push back against that question because we're all using it every day.” —Jennifer Huddleston

• “We're seeing the EU setup offices in San Francisco to work with the tech companies on how they're being regulated in Europe. Those are things that should be really concerning.” —Jennifer Huddleston

• A big THANK YOU to Jennifer Huddleston for joining us today. She is a Senior Fellow in Technology Policy at the Cato Institute. Find her work here: https://www.cato.org/people/jennifer-huddleston

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