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DECEMBER NEWSLETTER  

Graphic that says "Happy Holidays" with blue snowflakes, the CDT logo, and a photograph of the CDT staff taken at Tech Prom 2023.

Interoperability and Innovation: Striking a Balance

In a wide range of industries, policymakers seeking to promote competition and innovation have considered encouraging or mandating data interoperability. While interoperability has key strengths, including lowering the cost of switching services, some argue that it would entrench existing technological design and stifle innovation.

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CDT Research report, entitled "Understanding Innovation in Interoperable Systems: A Podcasting Case Study." Illustration of purple and blue headphones.

In a new paper from CDT ([link removed]), we examine the relationship between interoperability and innovation in podcasting. Exploring different features that facilitate and impede the movement of data between systems, and their effects, we conclude that policymakers should not focus on whether interoperability encourages or discourages innovation, but on what kind of innovation it introduces, and how interoperability might impact all relevant stakeholders. 

In Case You Missed It

— This fall, CDT launched its Future of Online Advertising project ([link removed]) to ensure that online advertising respects human rights, bolsters democracy, and enables legitimate commercial activity in a transparent and accountable way. The project will bring together experts from a range of backgrounds and perspectives to reconcile competing interests and resolve perceived tensions between core values like competition and protection from discrimination.

— CDT submitted comments to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on federal government agency use of artificial intelligence ([link removed]), commending the strength of OMB’s draft guidance and urging several changes to improve transparency and increase guidance to agencies about identifying mitigating potential AI harms.

— CDT submitted comments ([link removed]) in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s request for comments on efforts to protect youth mental health, safety, and privacy online. We discussed four ways that initiatives to protect children can undermine the safety, well-being, and rights of all users, adults and children alike, and impede services offered by educational institutions.

— There was a flurry of year-end activity over reform of Section 702 ([link removed]) of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which has been abused for domestic spying purposes. CDT warned that a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives ([link removed]) would dramatically expand the federal government’s surveillance powers, and laid out the flaws in several bills ([link removed]) proposed in the House Intelligence Committee that purport to reform 702. Ultimately, 702 was extended for four months by the National Defense Authorization Act, pushing debate on the issue into 2024.

CDT in the Press

— “It’s a good win for privacy rights and sets an example,” CDT’s Jake Laperruque told Bloomberg News ([link removed]) about changes to Google Maps’ location feature that would store location data on users’ devices and prevent the company from responding to certain law enforcement warrants.

Image of CDT's Alexandra Reeve Givens seated onstage at The Messenger's "AI: Balancing Innovation & Regulation Summit". She is seated between The Messenger's David Ewalt and Anchor Change's Katie Harbath.

— Earlier this month, CDT’s President & CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens joined The Messenger to discuss the impact of AI on elections. A recording of her appearance ([link removed]) is available on YouTube.

— “People are realizing the ways in which artificial intelligence can be used to change the way that they work,” CDT’s Matthew Scherer told Politico ([link removed]). “If you start treating people like automatons using artificial intelligence and electronic surveillance, that drives down their wages in the long run because you’re essentially forcing people into less skilled roles.”

CDT "in Person"

— On January 18, CDT’s Miranda Bogen ([link removed]) will appear at the National Fair Housing Alliance’s Responsible AI Symposium to discuss new research on algorithmic fairness techniques and their implications for credit markets. Register by January 12 on NFHA’s website ([link removed]).

— On December 13, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and CDT launched NTIA’s inquiry ([link removed]) into the risks, benefits, and potential policy implications of an open ecosystem for AI foundation models. A recording of the event ([link removed]) is available on CDT’s YouTube page.

 Graphic for CDT’s podcast, “Tech Talks”, hosted by Jamal Magby.

— Have you listened to the latest episode of our Tech Talk podcast ([link removed])? Host Jamal Magby is joined by Mallory Knodel, CDT’s Chief Technology Officer, and CDT Non-Resident Fellow Niels ten Oever from the critical infrastructure lab at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss their draft document on inclusive language at the internet standards governing body, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

CDT remains at the forefront of putting human rights and democratic values at the center of the digital age. As a nonprofit, we rely on support from individual donors to advance our mission and deepen our impact. Please consider supporting us, and donate today ([link removed])!

Portrait photograph of Amy Winecoff, smiling while wearing a checkered jacket, dark-rimmed glasses, and red lipstick in front of a wooden-paneled wall.

Staff Spotlight
Amy Winecoff ([link removed]), Fellow, AI Governance Lab

How long have you been working in technology policy?I initially got interested in AI governance while working as a data scientist in the tech industry (starting around 2016). When I started building machine learning models, I ran up against ethical concerns almost immediately and felt that companies didn't yet have a coherent framework for dealing with them.

As my career progressed in data science, I realized that preventing and mitigating the harms of AI systems that have arisen so frequently is not merely a technical problem. Solving these issues in the tech industry requires coordinating many people within companies with different constraints, incentives, and personal value systems coming into play. I joined the CITP at Princeton to research how the dynamics that influence what technology organizations do impact their AI risk mitigation strategies.

What is the best book you’ve read recently? Maybe not the best, but I recently read and enjoyed the controversial popular political science book The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk. My husband and I listened to the audiobook on a Thanksgiving road trip to Big Bend National Park. The book deals with identity-related topics that have animated progressives over the last few years. I found the book interesting because I hold some of the views about the centrality of identity to one's views about the world that Mounk problematizes. On the other hand, I have also engaged in intellectual communities and activist circles where these same ideas felt counterproductive for discourse. I agreed with some parts of Mounk's argument, disagreed with others, and felt ambivalent about the rest, an ideal mix for challenging my thinking and assumptions.

What is your fandom? I'm a huge fan of baking. During the pandemic, I tried to replicate a recipe for dinner rolls my grandmother used to make, but my family has yet to reproduce it successfully. Using the same instincts I use as a scientist, I made the recipe repeatedly, tweaking one variable and then observing the result. Since then, I've extended this approach to many other recipes. Over the last two months alone, I have probably made at least 20 loaves of ciabatta and hundreds of buttermilk biscuits. I also make the best French macaron in Austin; I will die on this hill.

What is the most recent cultural activity you've been to? I'm also a huge fan of horror movies. This year, I purchased a season pass to the Alamo Drafthouse, which often screens old horror movies throughout September and October. I got to watch some terrific films of the horror canon, such as Frankenstein and The Shining, on a big screen, which was terrific.

Dogs or cats? I'm a big dog person. I just started volunteering at Austin Pets Alive!, helping with the dogs in the shelter there. But, over the last few years, I have also developed a bit of a fondness for cats. Many people in my neighborhood have outdoor cats, so my husband and I have gotten to know several. We have a scratching post outside our door, which we often coat with catnip, and we put out treats from time to time. A few days ago, though, we also discovered a possum eating out of our treat dish, so apparently, we have been attracting more than just cats!

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