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Happy Thursday! In today’s newsletter, we examine political bias in large language models, whether the CHIPS and Science Act makes a case for industrial policy, and the Southern surge in education achievement.

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1. Political Bias in Artificial Intelligence
Topline: The growing influence of AI has led to large language models (LLMs) becoming increasingly important for reporters, policymakers, and donors across the US. AEI’s Edward J. Pinto and Arthur Gailes investigate <[link removed]> LLMs’ political bias and find that they systematically boost center-left research and policy institutions (think tanks) and depress right-leaning ones.

An Artificial Bias: Pinto and Gailes test whether five flagship LLMs demonstrate bias regarding think tanks. Their results show that across 12 evaluation criteria, think tanks categorized by LLMs as “center-left” consistently outscore right-leaning ones by 1.1 points on a five-point scale and are described with more positive language when the LLMs explain the scores. The average rating for “center-left” institutions is 3.9, whereas the average rating for both “center-right” and “left” is 3.0, and institutions labeled as “right” trail behind across all flagship LLMs, with an average rating of 2.8.

Implications of Bias: As AI continues to expand in reach and influence, LLMs will
continue to influence who and what is noticed, funded, and reported. Newsrooms use chatbots for quick background research, and policy analysts consult AI tools when creating panels and reports. If “center-left” institutes continue to be systematically favored, journalists, policymakers, and donors may unknowingly create feedback loops that boost this initial bias. It is imperative that model providers take steps to increase transparency and accountability in the ideological patterns of AI.





“A think tank deemed principled, dispassionate, and rigorous is far more likely to testify before committees, shape policy, or land in major stories; any doubt on one dimension can relegate a think tank to the margins. By centering on this triad, our study pinpoints the currency that buys access in Washington and the national press.” ––Edward J. Pinto and Arthur Gailes
2. Semiconductors and Industrial Policy
Topline: China continues to demonstrate repeated willingness to disrupt global supply chains in the name of political gains, including in the market for semiconductors. Despite the weaknesses of broad-based industrial policy, AEI’s Derek Scissors makes the case <[link removed]> that strategic protectionism through industrial policy that targets specific industries and products can be beneficial to the US national security, as seen
through the impacts of the CHIPS and Science Act.

Strategic Protectionism: A market must appear to be failing in some respect to warrant industrial policy, Scissors argues. In the US semiconductor market, American imports rose 85 percent from 2019 to 2024. In 2022, the US designed the most advanced semiconductors available, but it was unable to make the equipment actually needed to build them.

The CHIPS Act Impact: US leadership in the fabrication of high-end semiconductors is much more conceivable now than it was in 2021. TSMC’s Arizona plant has a comparable production yield to facilities in Taiwan. Although there remains a long road to US semiconductor dominance, the CHIPS Act has improved the US position in this industry, and it would not have been possible through market forces alone.

The Next Step: China’s adverse behavior in recent years provides incentives for federal action. Although CHIPS Act is not a definitive success, it has stimulated private investment in national security technology that is essential to maintaining US geopolitical power. In order to preserve America’s momentum in the semiconductor industry, policymakers should look to expand the CHIPS Act and increase private investment in the industry even more.





“For decades, the PRC has inhibited US-based production through
nonmarket means. It is now explicitly seeking to make the US and other countries dependent. To avoid this, US policy must limit revenue and supply-chain vulnerability to China, going beyond CHIPS.” —Derek Scissors
3. The Southern Surge in Education
Topline: Red Southern states are making notable gains in education achievements, as Alabama and Louisiana both saw math or reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) higher than where they were in 2019, before COVID-19’s spread. Zooming out further, however, the picture is more grim. The United States’ average for NAEP scores yielded the worst fourth-grade reading outcomes in 20 years and the worst eighth-grade reading scores of all time. AEI’s Frederick M. Hess observes <[link removed]> that the Southern education surge is driven by a commitment to basic skills—especially through phonics-based early literacy instruction and strict academic material.

Method over Price: Southern surge states have increased their spending per student
notably less than other states that are failing to see the same academic achievements. Between the 2014–15 and 2023–24 school years, Louisiana saw after-inflation spending up to $17,500 per student, Mississippi saw up to $12,500 per student, and Alabama saw up to $13,200 per student. Comparatively, Illinois saw spending up to $21,700 per student, Massachusetts up to $26,100 per student, and New York up to $31,514.

A Strategic Education Surge: In 2013, Mississippi education encouraged the use of phonics, held back students who were not proficient in reading, mandated literary training for teachers, and provided literary coaches for the
worst-performing elementary schools. In Louisiana, elementary teachers and leaders must complete training in the “science of reading.” In Alabama, the 2019 Literacy Act mandated nine hours of science-of-reading training for K–6 teachers and ordered K–3 teachers to also pass the Foundations of Reading assessment. Southern surge states were also among the first in the country to reopen during COVID-19.

Lessons to Learn: The basic skills encouraged in the Southern surge states demonstrate the value of fundamentals in the education system. Emphasizing discipline, academic rigor, high expectations, and hard work has led to positive results, while keeping costs per student below by many other states across the US.





“First, it’s the fundamentals, stupid. Education is a field that has proven itself highly vulnerable to fads and grifters. Simple solutions that rely on discipline, rigor, demanding expectations, and hard work just don’t sing out to those who seek quick fixes or shortcuts.” —Frederick M. Hess
DIVE INTO MORE DATA
Politics of Science Integrity <[link removed]>
Senate Appropriators Reject Cuts to Congressional Funding <[link removed]>
Special thanks to Isabella Grunspan and Drew Kirkpatrick! 

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