News Updates

1/29/18 – Reflecting on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a New York Times columnist declared that the most interesting participants were the entrepreneurs striving to use technology and other tools of business to address social problems. In Issues, a leading social thinker recently offered an even broader perspective, suggesting that society most needs technologies that will help shift “the focus of our actions from seeking ever-greater wealth to investing more of our time and resources in social lives, public action, and spiritual and intellectual activities.”

1/28/18 – In what he hoped would help drive an ongoing national analysis, an economic analyst examined in Issues the types of skills and jobs that are now or will soon become vulnerable to replacement by artificial intelligence and robotics, seeing possible problems for many current workers, but also potential for significant gains. In an expansion on this theme, Newsweek recently explored how the emerging “alternative data industry,” powered by AI systems able to connect many pieces of data into a holistic view, will likely create a variety of new jobs never before imagined.

1/27/18 – A powerful Republican lawmaker is expected to introduce a bill in the US Senate that would more than double the number of temporary visas available to high-skilled workers from overseas, as other legislators call for reducing the number of visas offered. But even as arguments swirl, proposals are already available in Issues for practical ways to improve the immigration and visa systems to meet the nation’s scientific and engineering needs while protecting opportunities for US workers and students.

1/26/18 – More than two-thirds of states significantly reduced their prison populations between 2008 and 2016, and all but one of them saw a simultaneous drop in crime rates, according to an analysis of new federal statistics. As part of a series on mass incarceration in Issues, two officials at the Council of State Governments Justice Center described the experiences of four states, noting lessons that others might apply in reducing incarceration while ensuring public safety.

1/22/18 – The social media giant Twitter just disclosed thousands of accounts associated with the Russian government and a Kremlin-linked troll farm that collectively posted more than a million misleading messages preceding the 2016 US elections, adding that “such activity represents a challenge to democratic societies everywhere.” In Issues, a scholar who studies the ethical and social dimensions of emerging technologies recently offered a detailed analysis of such “weaponized narratives,” including how they are used, what factors are catalyzing their spread, and how they might be resisted.

1/20/18 – Voluminous data in two new federal reports suggest that China has become—or is on the verge of becoming—a scientific and technical superpower, says the economics columnist for the Washington Post. In Issues, a scholar at one of China’s leading universities recently provided something of an insider’s look at what may be fueling his country’s gains, and in particular how the scientific and technical background of many of its leaders plays a major role in their exercise of political power.