Dear Diary
What to know: More and more teens are turning to artificial intelligence to express their struggles and feelings: “For many, AI has quietly become the new diary,” Teen magazine reports.
The TPPF take: A diary doesn’t talk back, and it doesn’t influence its author.
“Interactive systems that appear thoughtful, curious, and empathetic can shape the thinking of the person confiding in them, especially when that person is young,” says TPPF’s Hannah Bruck. “AI chatbots don’t simply record thoughts; they respond to them. They ask follow-up questions. They adapt their tone to the user. And most importantly, they are designed to keep the conversation going. That matters, because once something starts talking back, it can also start nudging.”
For more on AI, click here.
Special Delivery
What to know: The U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran has been conducted mainly in the air. But can air power alone win a war, without boots on the ground?
The TPPF take: The answer is likely yes — if the Iranian people themselves are also the “boots on the ground.”
“At some point, it is likely that the brutally repressive Iranian regime will be no longer able to hold back its own people,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “Thus, airpower — and the Iranian people as ‘boots on the ground’ — may usher in the greatest change in global history since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.”
For more on Iran, click here.
Taxpayer-funded Lobbying
What to know: According to the Texas Association of School Boards, a proposed ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying is “community censorship.”
The TPPF take: TPPF has launched a Government Oversight and Reform Coalition (GROC) bringing together leading state and national organizations united behind one central reform: ending taxpayer-funded lobbying in Texas.
“Taxpayer-funded lobbying is one of the most corrosive practices in Texas government,” says TPPF’s Mandy Drogin. “When government entities use public dollars to lobby against property tax reform, transparency, and accountability, they are weaponizing taxpayer money against taxpayers. Our coalition sends a clear message that this practice must end.’”
For more on GROC and taxpayer-funded lobbying, click here.