Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

America invented the industrial robot, but now the United States is falling behind. The bipartisan National Commission on Robotics Act, introduced earlier this month by Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Todd Young (R-IN), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), together with its House companion (H.R. 7334) from Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), and Bob Latta (R-OH), is an opportunity to begin turning the tide.

Part I of this post discussed the overall message of the recent papal encyclical on AI and how it channels the new dominant social capitalist ideology. This part will discuss the encyclical’s writings about the capitalist economy, work, AI, and workers. Pope Leo XIV writes: Leo XIII’s Encyclical Rerum Novarum constitutes a milestone in the development of the Church’s social teaching.

| June 18, 2026 Across the United States, city governments are deploying AI systems to improve service delivery and streamline internal processes, such as through AI-driven curb management platforms and residential permitting tools. These efforts increasingly show that successful adoption depends not only on the technology itself but also on whether public employees are prepared to use it effectively and consistently.

KEY TAKEAWAYS U.S. research policy is outmoded. It focuses too much on basic science, not enough on engineering and applied research. There is too little industry involvement, no prioritization of national power needs, and too much spillover—especially to China. Change must be more than incremental.

| June 16, 2026 The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) appreciates the opportunity to comment on changing the California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUCs) rules regarding Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) rules.[1] CPUC should modernize its COLR rules. At a time of unprecedented growth in the broadband market, California’s broadband laws remain unchanged, and it is costing consumers faster, more reliable Internet.

| June 16, 2026 Canada says it wants an innovation economy. The research budget tells a different story. The federal government has spent the past several years talking about productivity, domestic technology firms, AI, biomanufacturing, and quantum technologies as national economic priorities. Prime Minister Carney has tied his economic message to closing Canada’s productivity gap and building firms that can compete in strategic sectors.

By Joseph V. Coniglio and Robert H. Bork, Jr. | June 16, 2026 Podcasts HomeFollow the PodcastWatch on YouTube Joseph V. Coniglio hosts Robert H. Bork Jr., president of the Antitrust Education Project, to discuss his book The New Paradox: Antitrust and the Threat of Conservative Socialism. They cover what’s happening now in antitrust policy, Trump-era antitrust continuity, and why antitrust is the wrong tool for speech issues.

On September 30, 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued its Final Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade that the Assimilated Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (Assimilated TTBER) be replaced with a new UK block exemption with respect to technology transfer agreements that may otherwise be prohibited under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998 (TTBEO).[1] The Assimilated TTBER incorporated the European Union’s (EU) Technology Transfer...

Tuesday, July 7, 2026, 07:30 PM to 8:15 PM EST Webinar Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, would prohibit children under 16 from holding social media accounts unless platforms meet safety standards established by a new regulator. The proposal has quickly become one of Canada's most debated technology policy issues, raising important questions about how governments can best protect young people online. Australia offers a valuable case study.

WASHINGTON—In response to the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s announcement of a social media ban for users under 16, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released the following statement from Policy Analyst Alex Ambrose: The UK ban would cut everyone under 16 off from all social media, including platforms that already provide robust safety tools, parental controls, and age-appropriate design.