Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Oct. 1, 2024
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China, AI, and Social Media Manipulation
China aims to leverage social media and other platforms for overt propaganda and covert cyber operations. The goal: influence domestic and foreign public opinion in Beijing's favor. While China's results have been limited so far, the rise of generative AI could dramatically improve its capabilities moving forward, posing a serious threat to global democracies.
A new RAND study analyzes how China is approaching social media manipulation. The study drills down on the work of one researcher, Li Bicheng, who may be the Chinese military's leading expert on generative AI. Li may also be an advocate for using this technology to run large-scale networks of social bots to influence foreign public opinion.
The authors conclude that the United States and other democracies should take action to prepare for China's AI-driven social media manipulation--and limit its impacts. This includes redoubling efforts to combat fake social media accounts; promoting media literacy and ways to distinguish authentic content online; and increasing diplomatic coordination, especially with Taiwan, to share best practices for countering China's information operations.
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Deeper Learning in Middle and High School
Deeper learning includes skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration--all key to helping students succeed as adults. It also involves encouraging students to be active participants in their learning. A new RAND report takes a close look at this concept, examining how America's public schools are teaching deeper learning. Among other findings, the report identifies four main categories of successful deeper learning instruction: teachers posing high-level questions, project-based learning, real-world problem-solving activities, and activities that students chose rather than were assigned.
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Coverage and Costs: State-Funded Health Insurance for Immigrants
Health insurance options for undocumented immigrants or recent legally present immigrants are very limited. In some states, some form of health care (often similar to Medicaid or Marketplace-like coverage) is available. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RAND researchers created a tool that provides data for state policymakers who may be interested in exploring state-sponsored options for expanding coverage for immigrant populations. (The tool does not consider any changes to federal policy, which prohibits federal funds from being used for undocumented immigrants.)
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** RAND Recommends
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- In HealthDay, RAND's Bradley Stein spoke about the use of the anti-opioid treatment buprenorphine: "Preventing or delaying the need for high-intensity, urgent health care among people with opioid use disorder has tremendous benefits on health and recovery."
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** Events
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Policy Lab: Generative AI and Information Warfare
Thursday, October 24, 2024 (Online)
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