Broadband Breakfast on July 23, 2025 – The Politics of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is now also becoming a subject of political division. The politics of AI is akin to the politics of information technology, 20 years ago: Everyone says they want the advances promised by AI. But there are clearly tensions, as demonstrated by a proposed 10-year moratorium on state laws, stripped at the last minute from the budget bill. This Broadband Live segment will consider questions about who speaks for AI: Will states charge forward? How long will it take for a federal preemption law to follow? Do “accelerationists” still have the upper hand in the Trump administration? Or will concerns about AI safety, deepfakes and technology “alignment” gather steam?
Panelists
- Yonathan Arbel, Rose Professor of Law, University of Alabama School of Law
- Sarah Oh Lam, Senior Fellow and VP of Strategic Initiatives, Technology Policy Institute
- Adam Thierer, Senior Fellow, R Street Institute
- Chris Chambers Goodman, Professor of Law, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
- Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Professor Yonathan Arbel is the Rose Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law and the Director of AI Studies. He is also a co-director of CLAIR, the Center of Law & AI Risk, and a researcher studying AI safety from a legal perspective. He is the co-author of Generative Interpretation, on the use of AI in legal interpretation, and Systemic Regulation of AI.
Sarah Oh Lam is a Senior Fellow and VP of Strategic Initiatives at the Technology Policy Institute. She has presented research to the Western Economic Association, witness testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, and has co-authored work published in the Northwestern Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, and other peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Oh completed her Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, and holds a J.D. from Scalia Law School and a B.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Adam Thierer is a senior fellow for the Technology & Innovation team at the R Street Institute. He works to make the world safe for innovators and entrepreneurs by pushing for a policy vision that is rooted in the idea of “permissionless innovation.”
Chris Chambers Goodman is a Professor of Law at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and a member of the American Law Institute. She researches and writes on equal protection topics, including implicit bias, algorithmic bias, affirmative action, preferences, diversity and racial privacy, as well as evidentiary issues. Her recent law review article, AI, Can You Hear Me? addresses potential constitutional violations when government actors use AI technologies.
Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.