Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Oct. 3, 2024
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AI and the U.S. Workforce: Insights for Policymakers
From job displacement to the need for widespread upskilling, AI is poised to transform the civilian and military workforce in variety of ways. What will it take to prepare for this transformation? A new publication harnesses the expertise of dozens of RAND researchers to provide important insights for policymakers.
Our experts consider critical policy questions across many different sectors: What do colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions need to do to ensure workers can develop and use AI tools? Can AI chatbots help streamline communications between health care professionals and patients? How can the Department of Homeland Security attract, cultivate, and retain AI talent in an equitable way?
By exploring these and many other questions, the new publication provides a starting point for the conversations and collaborations needed to build a resilient and adaptable workforce in the age of AI. The authors hope to "foster an informed approach to integrating AI into the workforce, enabling leaders to create a future in which AI enhances human capabilities, drives innovation, and benefits society."
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Pretrial Mental Health Diversion: A Promising Approach in L.A.
The Los Angeles County Rapid Diversion Program allows for some people who have a mental health diagnosis or substance use disorder--and certain qualifying misdemeanor or felony charges--to be diverted into mental health treatment before their trial. According to a new RAND report, this program has had significant success: Fewer than 10 percent of those who complete the program commit similar crimes in the future. And with more resources, the program could build on this success in a variety of ways. Lead author Stephanie Brooks Holliday calls pretrial diversion "an important strategy to reduce the disproportionate number of individuals with mental illness in the L.A. County Jail population."
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U.S. Climate Policy Explained
Recent survey data show that more than 60 percent of Americans believe that climate change is affecting their community directly. Where does U.S. climate policy currently stand? And what might change in the months and years ahead? Benjamin Preston, one of RAND's foremost climate policy experts, discusses a broad range of efforts to address climate change in a new Q&A. One key challenge, he says, is measuring the effectiveness of climate policy interventions. "Policymakers would benefit from having better tools to understand the benefits of federal investment at the local to regional level."
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** RAND Recommends
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- RAND's Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, spoke to NPR on Tuesday about the escalating crisis in the Middle East and what the United States might consider to promote stability and peace.
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- In Business Insider, RAND's Michael Bohnert discusses the "old" F-16s the West is giving Ukraine. They may be "older airframes with not a lot of life left," he says, but that "doesn't mean they're bad."
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- Many workers are worried about being replaced by AI. Business leaders who are eager to harness AI's potential shouldn't ignore this anxiety, says RAND's Nelson Lim. Instead, they must be empathetic and "address AI panic head on."
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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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