It Was a Data Center Election After All
A majority of voters told exit pollsters that data centers were a top issue for them during this election.
Artificial Intelligence
Midterms 2026: Data Centers Out, Reproductive Freedom In
Voters also rejected automated license plate readers, and the idea of transgender girls playing on girls' sports teams in schools.
How Capitalism Quietly Revolutionized Everyday Life
Virginia Postrel discusses the forgotten innovations behind modern conveniences, why discontent drives progress, and the political forces resisting change.
Ohio Leads a Wave of Local Data Center Bans
Voters resoundingly approved data center bans on Tuesday, often in towns where no centers exist or are planned.
Data Center Bans Won't Stop AI. They'll Barely Slow It Down.
Even still, data center moratoriums are not an optimal policy for the pro-AI camp.
AI Isn't Just Extracting More Fossil Fuels—It's Unlocking Renewable Energy Too
A New Mexico geothermal project used AI to reduce surface infrastructure costs by 75 percent and speed up drilling by 35 percent.
Connecticut's New Restrictions on Flock Cameras Highlight the Dearth of Meaningful Privacy Protections
Until recently, the state imposed no limits at all on automated license plate readers, which track the travels of innocent motorists across the country.
The Man Who Saved the Internet
Plus: How to be more secure in an age of AI hacking, more Trump administration corruption allegations, Virginia Democrat indicted for marijuana scheme, and more...
Javier Milei's Case Against AI Regulation
"Keep AI unregulated," the Argentine president wrote in support of his proposed plan to boost artificial intelligence.
The Swamp King
Plus: The internet nearly crashed, the White House keeps threatening media outlets for doing their jobs, and more...
Meta Is Gifting AI Glasses to Blind Veterans: 'I Got My Independence Back'
Meta's AI glasses carry privacy risks, but for blind veterans, they fill a gap that the government has failed to address.
Nobody Wants To Be the Pro-Tech Candidate in This New York Race That Could Flip the House
Republican incumbent Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley are trying to tie each other to the AI industry and data centers.
Posting About This 'Robot Sexual Assault' in Germany Could Be a Crime
Let's unpack the latest dystopian tech news—and German cops' dystopian response.
Mark Cuban: 'I'd Get Rid of All Political Parties'
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban discusses breaking up Big Medicine, why he wants to abolish political parties, and how Ayn Rand shaped his views on capitalism.
Other Courts Should Heed a Federal Judge's Warning About Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance
Car-tracking cameras, like cellphones, generate vast amounts of sensitive data.
Don't Blame AI Labs for What Hackers Do With Their Tools
AI executives are planning for a public revolt after a major attack. A federal power grab is the wrong response.
Anthropic Is Banning 'Cruel Behavior' Toward Claude. Chatbots Are Still Not Your Friends.
The AI company's decision might be a justifiable idea. But it appears it was made for the wrong reason.
Russian Plague, Superintelligence, and Tucker Carlson
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi weigh in on the Russian plague, whether superintelligence is sentient, and Tucker Carlson's shaky grasp of history.
D.C. Wants To Protect Ride-Share Jobs. Riders Could Pay the Price.
Unions rallied against a D.C. robotaxi bill that already favors them. Riders would pay for their win in higher fares and more dangerous roads.
The Pentagon Is Eating Silicon Valley
An influx of military spending has been moving tech companies away from serving consumers and back toward chasing government contracts.
Ruben Gallego's Plan To Save America's Middle Class: Higher Taxes and More Unions
The senator wants to “triple union density by 2035” and pay for a host of social welfare programs with new taxes on data centers and AI companies.
Are Economists Measuring the Wrong Things?
Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman discusses what really drives economic mobility, the failures of universal preschool, and how AI is transforming his research.
AI Solutions in Search of Problems
Plus: Ketamine deep dive, failed Oura IPO, Ray Dalio's warning, and more...
Sam Altman Says 'Some Bad Things' Will Happen With AI. That Doesn't Mean We Should Stop It.
Progress has always required accepting risk.
Are the Cornell 7 Being Tried on Social Media?
Plus: Tennessee botches the execution of Christa Pike, and Sam Altman says the benefits of AI are worth the risks.
I Asked the White House's New AI Chatbot About Tariffs. It Told the Truth.
America.gov says that tariffs "can raise the price buyers pay. Domestic goods that compete with those imports can also become more expensive."
Anthropic vs. the Pope
Plus: The rape case and porn, cornrow canceling, and more...
The National Debt Has Exploded. The Reckoning Is Still Coming.
Even the best-case scenario means less investment, slower wage growth, and a budget increasingly spent on past obligations.
Trump Wants AI Companies To Police Themselves. His FTC Isn't Waiting.
While the White House settles for a voluntary accord, the Federal Trade Commission is preparing subpoena-like demands and plans to compel testimony from frontier lab executives.
Your Right to Privacy Doesn't Disappear When You're in Public
Defenders of Flock-style surveillance systems argue that people “have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public.” They're wrong.
AI-Powered Concierge Government
Plus: FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv forced to emergency-land, ICE hiring surge, and more...
Seattle's 'Surveillance Pricing' Ban Is a Solution Searching for a Problem
The city's ordinance targets price gouging that its own evidence doesn't show—and it could kill discounts that save shoppers money.
AI Facial Recognition Didn't Put This Tennessee Grandma in Jail for 6 Months. Bad Policing Did.
Angela Lipps is suing for $10 million after a Fargo police detective ignored evidence that she was innocent and arrested her anyway.
Trump's Iran War Is Losing With Everyone (Even Republicans)
Plus: rising debt and mortgage rates, whether AI will make government obsolete, and how to pitch Reason to your friends
Data Centers and Their Discontents
Plus: Talarico and black turnout, an artist trial at the Vatican, hospitals use AI (for ill), and more...
Is AI Going To Wipe Out Humanity? Don't Build That Bunker Yet.
Measures to slow AI development are more likely to trigger human lawsuits against AI companies than accomplish anything useful.
OpenAI Preaches AI Safety. The Australia Incident Shows What It Practices.
Sam Altman called for international regulation and "speedy incident reporting" at the U.N. on the same day Australia's prime minister said OpenAI took too long to disclose a breach.
Half the Public Wants To Pause AI. Would Regulation Actually Make It Safer?
A new poll finds widespread support for slowing advanced AI, but government controls could create risks of their own.
Scan Your Face To Enter Your Dorm? University of Kentucky Installs Facial Recognition Tech Around Campus
The rationale for AI facial scanning—to prevent bad actors from following students into buildings—makes little sense.
The 'AI Safety' Movement Is Making AI Less Safe
The fear of superintelligence is driving decisions that make AI less transparent and more consolidated.
California Wants to Write America's AI Rules
Newsom's expert panel has two months to consider new AI rules, including "kill switches," that could spread nationwide.
Does CNN Deserve To Be Banned From the White House?
Plus: why parents are abandoning public schools, whether AI requires government intervention, and what happened to fusionism in the conservative movement.
AI Companies Promise Humanoid Assistants. How Will the Robots Know What To Do?
Developers are using videos of real-life work to train the new generation of robots.
Montana's Anti-Deepfakes Law Just Hit a First Amendment Roadblock
A federal judge found that the state's restrictions on AI-generated political speech likely violate the First Amendment.
AI Could Make Our Lives Better. So Why Are We Trying To Stop It?
Anthropic's CEO wants federal regulation that would slow down AI (and his competitors' innovations). Has that ever worked?
