Although technology policy is not like that one of the main drivers getting voters to the polls in the upcoming presidential election, the pace of technology development will undoubtedly impact the way ordinary Americans communicate, work and interact with the world over the next four years.
Concerns about the role of artificial intelligence in elections haunt most Republicans and Democrats alike Pew Research Center study found last month. Respondents are concerned that artificial intelligence is being used to influence elections, with a survey conducted earlier this year showing that people are distrustful of amount of power social media and Big Tech companies have control over their lives.
Congress has introduced several bills to regulate modern technologies, but no federal laws have yet been passed to regulate artificial intelligence or data privacy. In October 2023, President Joe Biden signed the agreement executive order calling on federal agencies to study the impact of artificial intelligence and report on how they can solve the problems.
Although technology issues are not the main focus of their platforms, candidates Kamala Harris and former Donald Trump have shared how they view the role of technology in American lives.
Harris’ policies tend to focus on inclusion, data protection, net neutrality and expanding access to broadband. One of the biggest victories for the technology and science communities during the Biden-Harris administration is CHIPS and the Science Actwhich in 2022 provided funds for research and development for environmental projects, tidy energy and American manufacturing of semiconductors, which form the basis of most electronics.
Trump’s policies would likely roll back some consumer protections put in place by the Biden administration and programs like the challenge of electric vehicles. His platform attaches great importance to what it considers “illegal censorship”, by Big Tech companies, especially X, formerly Twitter, which banned the candidate for “risk of further incitement to violence”, following the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
While Harris’ policies focus on striking a balance between innovation and the overreach of Big Tech companies, Trump’s policies focus on a more free-market approach.
However, when it comes to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, Harris and Trump see a somewhat similar approach. At Cipriani Wall Street fundraiser earlier this week, Harris talked about the importance of these emerging technologies in the current economy, while acknowledging that they require oversight.
“We will work together to invest in America’s competitiveness and invest in America’s future,” Harris said. “We will encourage innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital assets, while protecting our consumers and investors.”
This is a change from the current administration, which is more focused on protecting consumers in a growing market than on growing the industry. Trump has similarly taken a lighter stance on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, saying the industry needs some time to get better and doesn’t support exacting oversight at this time.
On antitrust issues, the Harris administration will likely continue to enforce laws against vast platforms and Big Tech companies emerging from the Biden administration. Signed the executive order in 2021 against companies using monopolistic techniques and collecting personal data, and his Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against Facebook’s parent company, Meta and Amazon.
Late in his term, the Trump administration also brought antitrust lawsuits against Google and Meta. He has long been vocal about his distrust and distaste for major social media platforms, accusing them of bias.
Most Americans are in favor more technical regulations than it is now. But they probably aren’t too concerned about the details that kept the bills stuck in Congress, said Ryan Waite, vice president of public affairs at digital advocacy firm Think Big.
Waite has spent the last two decades working in and around political campaigns, and he said emerging technologies and artificial intelligence are having as much of an impact on the future Internet landscape as the introduction of the Internet itself into everyday life 30 years ago.
He compared pending or potential AI legislation to Telecommunications Act 1996which promoted competition and confined regulation to lower costs for consumers as modern technologies in broadcasting and the Internet exploded.
“I think if you talked to the average American back then, they wouldn’t have known what the internet was, maybe had experienced it on some level, but probably didn’t care much about how it was regulated,” Waite said.
But the legislation has modernized the communications and telecommunications framework for the industry and changed the way we work and receive information, Waite said. In the same concept, artificial intelligence and other modern technologies are being adopted at such a rapid pace that “we are in an earthquake moment,” Waite said.
Both sides seek to strengthen the technology industry and America’s place in the global marketplace, but they approach it differently, Waite said. Debates about legislation usually come down to finding appropriate, up-to-date legislation that regulates these modern technologies without stifling innovation and growth.
Waite said the Harris campaign’s approach to these issues is seen as “inclusive,” with the goal of ensuring access to broadband everywhere and a focus on ensuring that petite businesses and disadvantaged communities have access to these tools.
“They are very interested in an equity framework, in being able to say that everyone should have access to these tools,” Waite said.
Trump is leaning more toward allowing companies to innovate and do what they do well, confident that time will solve the problems associated with these technologies. These policies typically favor economic impact over security technologies.
Most Americans probably favor compromise legislation that allows for data and bias protections for rapidly developing technologies while allowing American companies to become global leaders, he said.
Ultimately, for most Americans, technology issues are not as partisan as the two-party system makes them out to be, Waite said.
“Voters may not always know the details of the legislation,” Waite said. “But they care about reliable access to broadband, keeping children safe online and ensuring innovation advances to keep pace with global competition.”
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