Darrell M. West
- Vice President and Senior Fellow, The Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution
- Co-Host, TechTank
Washington, D.C.
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Senior Fellow @BrookingsGov Center Tech Innovation; Author of Power Politics (2022), Turning Point (2020), Divided Politics (2019), Future of Work (2018),
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Articles by Darrell M. West
Weighing the existential risks of AI and the proposals to prevent them | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world.
Why data centers are a top issue in the 2026 midterms
Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown is running an ad calling the incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) the “face of data centers.” As the state’s former lieutenant governor, Husted supported tax breaks for data centers and called them a tremendous economic opportunity for Ohioans. He encouraged towns to build them and advance Ohio as a business-friendly area.
Organizations will need AI and robot relations departments
Various sectors are deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, including manufacturing, finance, transportation, retail, defense, education, and health care. These industries are introducing AI assistants and agents, robotic equipment, cobots (collaborative robots), and automated software on their online platforms, in their products and services, and for backend operations.
Data center moratoriums are not a substitute for oversight
Data center construction is exploding amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom—and so is the community backlash against these projects. Protests across the country and community concerns have prompted legislators to consider moratoriums on data center construction. At least 15 states have weighed pauses on data center development, and at least 100 localities have already approved their own.
Data center moratoriums are not a substitute for oversight
Data center construction is exploding amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom—and so is the community backlash against these projects. Protests across the country and community concerns have prompted legislators to consider moratoriums on data center construction. At least 15 states have weighed pauses on data center development, and at least 100 localities have already approved their own.
How tech firms should address job concerns and skill development
Opinion polls show major public worries about artificial intelligence (AI) taking jobs and creating financial uncertainties for the next generation. Although those fears are understandable given the rapid pace of technological change, the actual impact is likely to be more gradual; research on job impacts shows widely varying estimates, and there is little agreement over how fast or substantial those employment consequences will be.
The importance of investing in space infrastructure with Bridgit Mendler and Mariel Borowitz | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. The space economy is growing as companies and governments make advances in space tourism, mining, exploration, communications, and defense.
How robotics is reshaping manufacturing | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Manufacturing relies on various technologies, but advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation are reshaping it.
How technology can help save democracy | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Technology is rapidly accelerating, altering how governments and businesses make decisions, as well as how people access information and services.
Pope Leo’s moral stance on AI could encourage greater oversight
When Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope in 2025, he took the name Pope Leo XIV in part to honor Pope Leo XIII, who led the Vatican from 1878 to 1903 and showed tremendous moral leadership and social conscience as the world shifted from an agrarian to an industrial economy. At a time when social perspectives were not very popular, he called for fair wages, workers’ rights, labor unions, and safe working conditions at a time of rapid economic and political transformation.
Maintaining privacy and security with connected cars | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Manufacturers are now digitally connecting cars and trucks through online sensors, safety devices, and entertainment systems.
Artemis II and the rapid rise of a global space economy
Artemis II’s successful launch to the moon shows why the American public’s $25 billion investment in NASA is a sound investment. We’ve made spectacular gains in scientific knowledge over the past few decades, including using autonomous rovers and helicopters on Mars to document the past presence of flowing rivers on the Red Planet. We know more about our neighboring planets, moons, comets, and asteroids than ever before.
How rising electric rates could affect the 2026 midterms
One aspect of the “affordability” crisis facing many Americans is the rising cost of electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, electric rates measured by average retail revenues per kilowatt went up 7.1% in 2025 and are expected to continue rising in 2026. There is considerable variation across the country, though, as last year’s rates went up 26.3% in DC, 18.9% in Pennsylvania, and 16.3% in Rhode Island, with smaller increases in southern and western states.
What is dynamic pricing, and why do consumers need better protections?
I learned about old-fashioned bargaining many years ago during a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. One of the popular tourist attractions there was a shopping bazaar with crowded stalls and friendly sellers, who offered a range of rugs, ceramics, and food. Salespeople did not wait for customers to enter their stall; instead, they stepped out persistently to engage passersby and draw them into their shops. Once inside, they would offer conversation, friendship, tea, and seeming bargains on Turkish goods.
Going back to the moon | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. The United States will soon launch a crewed ship to circle the moon and test equipment for takeoff and reentry—more than five decades since humans landed on the moon.
Tech outlooks for 2026 | The TechTank Podcast
[00:00:00] CO-HOST NICOL TURNER LEE: You are listening to Tech Tank, a biweekly podcast from the Brookings Institution exploring the most consequential technology issues of our time, from racial bias and algorithms to the future of work Tech Tank takes big ideas and makes them accessible. [00:00:26] CO-HOST DARRELL WEST: Thanks for joining our Brookings Tech Tank podcast. I’m Darrell West, senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.
Why community benefit agreements are necessary for data centers
Data centers are both controversial and critical to the artificial intelligence technologies undergirding the digital economy. Data centers house thousands of file servers and networking equipment to enable e-commerce, data analytics, health care, and other functions of a connected society. Without abundant data centers, the digital revolution could potentially stall, restricting access to the benefits of digital technologies for individuals, communities, governments, and businesses.
Why water is important for data centers | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Tech companies are investing billions in data centers to provide the computing power necessary for artificial intelligence (AI).
Why data centers are important for AI | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Artificial intelligence is poised to transform various sectors, powering applications in finance, health care, and defense.
2025 election wrap-up: insights from Brookings
Many noticed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s reference to Eugene Debs, the famous American Socialist leader, right at the top of his election night victory speech. After a post-primary campaign that spent a lot of time reassuring voters that his goal was to lead a responsive and effective government, Mamdani wanted to remind everyone that, yes, he really is a democratic socialist.
How technology is altering citizen protests
During the federal deployment of the military to assist police in Washington, D.C., I saw masked men in unmarked cars detain a person just a few houses down from where I live. It was early morning, and I was returning from the gym when I saw a commotion on my block. A neighbor, upset by the police action, was recording the scene with his cell phone, as many in the nation’s capital do to document possible abuses and share them online for all to see.
The war over federalism
Since his inauguration, President Trump has moved aggressively to enact his agenda. He has encountered few checks on presidential power; the Republican Congress has been loyal to the administration, court decisions have been a mixed bag, and the Democratic Party is some time away from being able to coalesce around a new leader. But overlooked in this discussion is federalism and the important role that the 50 individual states play and have always played in shaping the future of the country.
Should you have an AI companion?
I was shocked to read that 52% of teenagers report regular use of AI to augment human companionship. In a Common Sense Media survey, more than half of teenage respondents said they use such tools a few times or more per month, and 72% reported using an AI application at some point during the last year. Teens are more likely to adopt an AI companion, though research shows a growing number of adults are doing the same.
What constitutes manufacturing success?
President Donald Trump has promised to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and bring jobs back to the country. To do this, he has undertaken a number of initiatives, such as imposing tariffs on many different countries, cutting taxes, reducing regulations, and moving away from some clean energy standards, among other things. It is part of a pledge to “reindustrialize” America.
Ways to help workers suffering from AI-related job losses
Job losses are starting to accelerate due to AI, robotics, and automation. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns that AI could cut half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the coming years.
Should consumers and businesses use AI assistants?
AI assistants are spreading rapidly. They are being used to answer emails, make reservations, arrange travel, handle schedules, undertake research, summarize meetings, or automate financial transactions, among other things. Despite their growing popularity, though, many consumers and organizations do not understand what they are, how they operate, what their benefits and risks are, and how they should be evaluated.
How autonomous vehicles can talk to one another | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. Driverless cars continue to pop up in cities across the country.
The coming AI backlash will shape future regulation
It is a glorious time for the tech sector. Many of its top chief executive officers accompanied President Donald Trump on his recent trip to the Middle East and garnered multi-billion dollar contracts for artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, and other emerging technologies. Some of the sector’s leading lights have been given top administration positions overseeing areas like AI, cryptocurrency, and space exploration. And these leaders don’t just have greater access—they have fewer obstacles.
How autonomous vehicles could change cities
After many years of delays, self-driving cars, trucks, and buses are appearing on the roads of major American cities. There are currently autonomous taxis in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin, and self-driving trucks in Texas. Washington, D.C. is also testing the vehicles, and it will be interesting to see how they navigate the city’s complicated traffic circles.
How much influence do private firms have over space policy? | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world. As ambitious efforts to return humans to the moon advance, other developments in space exploration continue.
How DOGE is using AI in government | The TechTank Podcast
TechTank, a biweekly podcast from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, explores today’s most consequential technology issues. Moderators Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with experts and policymakers to share data, ideas, and policy solutions that address the challenges of our digital world.
Do Americans really want a policy revolution?
A major question about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term is whether Americans truly want a policy revolution. The chief executive has thought big, pushed through major procedural roadblocks, and implemented extraordinary cutbacks in budget and personnel for key agencies.
How AI can enable public surveillance
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers many promising applications. Algorithms and machine learning can help and target treatment in effective ways. AI also plays a role in tracking climate change by monitoring weather patterns. Wildlife experts have coupled AI with satellite imagery to monitor how endangered species are faring and where threats are appearing. But there is a dark side to AI as well, given its potential for nefarious purposes.
Can billionaires buy democracy?
... ultimately, we can outvote wealthy people because they are a relatively small part of our society and a small part our electorate. But it takes a recognition about what is happening, about the wealthification, about the benefits that wealthy individuals have gotten out of our political system. Darrell West Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has seen a sharp rise in both income inequality and the political influence of ultra-rich Americans.
The power of protest in the US
In 1968, Professor Michael Lipsky wrote an influential article titled “Protest as a Political Resource,” in which he compared effective and ineffective movements. He argued that successful movements have clear strategic goals, use protest to broaden coalitions, seek to enlist more powerful individuals in their cause, and connect expressions of discontent to broader political and electoral mobilization.
Why social security disinformation is dangerous
Elon Musk has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” rife with fraud, waste, and abuse. President Donald Trump argued in his State of the Union address that there are millions of people over the age of 100 who are fraudulently on the Social Security rolls, with some receiving government benefits. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers are calling Social Security Administration workers inefficient and threatening to make major reductions in its workforce based on that argument.
The future of the instant runoff election reform
American politics is facing a challenging period marked by polarized elections, intense candidate rhetoric, and increasingly extreme leadership. In this situation, it is important to move toward electoral reforms that encourage more moderate candidates and enable politicians to build majority coalitions that address important issues facing the country. In this paper, I examine ranked-choice voting (also known as instant runoffs) to see how it affects campaign discourse and election outcomes.
What to expect from the Trump administration on cybersecurity | The TechTank Podcast
Editor's note: The transcript provided is automatically generated and may include inaccuracies. The digital world has become a dangerous place. We have seen foreign entities burrow into telecom networks and extract highly confidential information. There have been hacks of vital infrastructure, ransomware attacks, and thefts of sensitive databases.
Will the US become the new crypto capital of the world? | The TechTank Podcast
Donald Trump’s 2024 election win could set the stage for a sweeping policy overhaul, fueled by ambitious plans to make the United States the crypto capital of the world. From a potential national Bitcoin reserve to pro-crypto regulatory leadership, the sector is gearing up for a transformative period.
What a Trump presidency means for tech | The TechTank Podcast
With the 2024 presidential election results now in, Donald Trump is returning to the White House and Republicans likely have the House and Senate. This new political landscape will bring significant changes to technology policy in the U.S. This week on the TechTank Podcast, co-hosts Darrell West and Nicol Turner Lee discuss what to expect in the coming years under a Trump administration as it relates to AI, antitrust enforcement, the digital divide, China, cryptocurrency, and disinformation.
How disinformation defined the 2024 election narrative
There are many reasons for the stunning election victories of Donald Trump and congressional Republicans: inflation fears, concerns about border security, worries about cultural issues related to race, gender, and sexuality, and feelings that President Joe Biden and the country as a whole were headed in the wrong direction.
Election night disinformation risks
Every day brings new examples of fake campaign-related pictures, videos, and narratives.
How do artificial intelligence and disinformation impact elections?
And we have the ability to ensure that we build technologies that are ethical, responsible, inclusive, and fair, and that they do not embolden further systemic inequalities that pull us back as opposed to progress us in the type of world that we want to live. Nicol Turner Lee Political campaigns in America have always featured misinformation about the issues, but today, AI and other new technologies represent an unprecedented challenge to the electorate and our political system.
Fighting hurricane misinformation requires aggressive pushback
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have devastated communities across the South. Helene went up the East Coast and drenched people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, before unleashing traumatic floods in the western part of North Carolina. In some cases, residents in places distant from the coast had mere minutes to evacuate before rising water and mudslides destroyed roads and evacuation routes.
How does tech affect inequality? | The TechTank Podcast
Technology innovation is accelerating around the world. Advances in AI, quantum computing, and cloud storage are providing new opportunities for communications and service delivery, but how are new digital tools affecting inequality? There is concern that technology will further inequality and divide the world into technology haves and havenots.
Why is assassination misinformation so popular?
I was watching NFL football when the news appeared of a rifle poking through the bushes at the former president’s Florida golf course not far away from where Trump was playing golf. The Secret Service’s quick action averted a tragedy, and a suspect soon was detained.
What do Vance and Walz have to say about tech policy? | The TechTank Podcast
The election is rapidly approaching and tech policy is taking center stage—it’s even emerging as one of the key battlegrounds that could define the future of the United States. Americans have heard the presidential candidates speak on how they envision America’s technological future, but not much is heard from the vice presidential candidates. Where do they stand on tech? Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) is a staunch advocate for antitrust reform, broadband accessibility, and AI regulation.
Foreign influence operations in the 2024 elections
The recent indictments of Russian individuals and sanctions against Russian entities show the risks facing America in the upcoming elections. Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled nefarious foreign activities designed to sway the electorate and turn voters against one another. The Russian state media firm RT is accused of using AI and bots to spread propaganda videos with false narratives about crime, immigration, and the Ukraine war.
Will VP Harris close the gaps for the digitally invisible if elected? | The TechTank Podcast
Billions of people around the world lack internet access, and it was not until the pandemic that many found out. As the presidential election edges forward, one of the possible advantages of Harris campaign might be the starting investments in national infrastructure, including access to the high-speed internet.
What Project 2025 says about AI, antitrust, and public radio | The TechTank Podcast
As the elections get underway, there has been considerable attention to Project 2025—an initiative launched by the Heritage Foundation that brought over 400 scholars together to develop a policy agenda for the future. The resulting 900 page document outlines a comprehensive remaking of American policy on a range of different topics.
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