Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently warned that “there is no day after tomorrow” if China pulls ahead in artificial intelligence; Americans receive this message from political leaders and from tech innovators. Yet, the first to cross the finish line is not always the one who wins a tech race. Take, for example, the long line of British inventors who helped bring electricity to the world in the 1800s. A betting man, at the cusp of the 20th century, would have been hard pressed to deny Britain its place in the future. But that’s not how the story goes. By 1912, America had become the world’s leading industrial power, and was producing five times more electricity, per person, than Britain. This logic—that it’s not always who is first who ends up cornering the market—may apply to A.I. today. Chang Che explores this way of thinking: newyorkermag.visitlink.me/NM…

🚨 Can past technological developments provide a definitive answer about how AI will impact society? Should we base AI policy and regulation on specific historical examples? Some people dismiss AI regulation as counterproductive by citing historical examples in which concerns were overblown. Others are optimistic about AI and point to previous technological waves that some thought were exceedingly dangerous but ultimately led to societal prosperity. In his paper “AI and the Lessons of History,” @mtokson paints a more nuanced picture: no one person has the full picture or the final word on how a technology like AI will unfold, and multiple perspectives from different fields are necessary to inform responsible policies and effective regulation. The paper also reminds us that even geniuses make mistakes: - In 1934, world-famous, Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Albert Einstein said that “there is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable.” - In 1998, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman predicted that “the Internet’s impact on the economy would be no greater than the fax machine’s.” Both were wrong. As AI accelerates, we must invest time and effort to understand its unique risks and benefits and act fast, as AI governance and regulation cannot wait, and global coordination will be necessary. The paper offers a detailed historical perspective to inform AI governance, ethics, and policy discussions and is a great weekend read. 👉 Learn more about the paper, read my recommendations, and join my newsletter's 100,300+ subscribers below.

The Supreme Court’s realignment roundup: October Term 2025 | SCOTUSblog scotusblog.com/2026/08/the-s…

It’s interesting when tough on crime accounts get off the bandwagon. Personally, where I live I think the value of marginal reductions in serious crime remains very high and I’d love to see more cameras (yes with rules and accountability for people who abuse them).