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Bias in law enforcement systems that use machine learning can cause or exacerbate inequity. This Perspective describes ways the U.S. Department of Homeland Security can prevent or reduce, identify, and address such bias at various points in the process of acquiring these systems.
Truth Decay—the diminishing role that facts, data, and analysis play in political and civic discourse—has been fueled in part by our rapidly evolving information ecosystem. Media literacy—the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication—has emerged as a tool to curtail Truth Decay. This report presents a set of standards to inform media literacy instruction, resource development, and policy decisions.
In this report, RAND researchers explore an application of artificial intelligence that would enable the U.S. Air Force to leverage existing data for improved human resource management policies and practices. The main purpose of this report is to serve as a worked example for Air Force policymakers as they consider how to approach the potential ways in which artificial intelligence can improve human resource management processes.
Family caregivers provide a significant portion of health and support services in the United States to individuals with serious illnesses but are often overlooked by existing health care systems. The authors describe why, in light of COVID-19, it is more critical than ever to integrate family caregivers into patients' health care teams and highlight several solutions for accomplishing this goal.
RAND researchers explored the capabilities and limitations of future weapon systems incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) through two wargame experiments. Such games, which bring together operators and engineers, could be used by the requirements and acquisition communities to develop realizable requirements and engineering specifications for AI/ML systems.
In this report, the authors describe results from several waves of a survey fielded through the RAND Corporation's American Life Panel to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on households' financial well-being. The authors find that the share of households experiencing difficulty with paying bills has increased throughout the pandemic. Those who experience difficulties are more likely to turn to informal methods to fund expenditures.
Researchers used a global macroeconomic model to examine the economic effects of vaccine nationalism. This brief highlights the cost to 30 high-income countries if low and middle-income countries miss out on initial access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Icebreaking has long been an important capability gap in U.S. polar operations. The authors of this Perspective recommend that the U.S. Coast Guard (1) assess needs for additional icebreaking capacity; (2) ensure that new vessels are built for a changing, multimission operating environment; and (3) consider other, related capability investments when planning. The Perspective includes short scenarios to illustrate potential needs for icebreakers.
Nationally representative survey results demonstrate how social studies teachers in U.S. public schools promote students' civic learning, teachers' beliefs about the importance of civic-related topics and skills, and which conditions they perceive as supporting or hindering civic education. This report, which is part of the Truth Decay initiative, extends analyses presented in other reports in the series.
RAND researchers examine changes in workers' ability to telecommute during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic over time and by occupation. Evidence that telecommuting might be spreading to a broader set of occupations could indicate ongoing adjustments that may facilitate more telecommuting over time. The data were collected through the RAND American Life Panel as part of an ongoing analysis.
In this report, the authors examine the propensity within China's innovation system to realize its potential as an innovating nation: What is the balance of systemic forces that incline toward seeing that the innovation assets China possesses lead to innovation outcomes? They lay out a conceptual framework for capturing the major activities, interactions, and flows that give rise to technological innovations.
Automated target recognition (ATR) is an important potential U.S. military application among the many recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. An obstacle to creating a successful ATR system with machine learning is the collection of high-quality labeled data sets. The authors explored whether this obstacle could be sidestepped by training object-detection algorithms on high-resolution, realistic artificial images.
Trust in government and media has declined in the past two decades. Assessing individual characteristics and institutional attributes associated with trust offers insight into this decline and is a first step toward rebuilding institutional trust. Researchers developed a new method to assess these concepts, using a survey of 1,008 respondents and a response scale that distinguishes among trust, lack of trust or distrust, and active distrust.
Americans' online shopping habits have continued to shift during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. More Americans are shopping online, and people who report shopping online more frequently also report spending more money on online purchases. People who reported spending less on online purchases were likely to have lost employment during the pandemic.
This brief summarises the global economic implications of COVID-19 vaccine nationalism and the associated inequitable access to vaccines across countries.
Internet-connected "smart" devices are increasingly available in the marketplace, including a growing industry of devices that monitor the human body. The authors of this report examine this emerging collection of Internet of Bodies (IoB) technologies; explore benefits, risks, and ethical implications; survey the nascent regulatory landscape; and make recommendations to balance IoB risks and rewards.
This appendix provides additional methodological and research material for two reports that summarize results of an August 2020 survey of Americans' attitudes about voting in November 2020. The August survey, a follow-up to one conducted in May with identical questions, focused on intention to vote, intended voting method, physical safety, and election integrity and indicated small changes in responses.
An August 2020 survey of Americans' attitudes about voting in November 2020 revealed small changes in responses compared with May 2020 responses to an identical survey that focused on physical safety, and election integrity. Changes were modest but notable, including an increase in uncertainty about election integrity.
An August 2020 survey of Americans' attitudes about voting in November 2020 revealed small changes in responses compared with May 2020 responses to an identical survey that focused on intention to vote and intended voting method. Changes were modest but notable, including some decline in intention to vote among those who were uncertain in May, and a shift from in-person to mail-in voting.
This report examines the global economic implications of COVID-19 vaccine nationalism and the associated inequitable access to vaccines across countries. It looks at the economic impact of physical distancing regulations and measures on five contact-intensive sectors, including hospitality, recreation, retail and wholesale, health and social care.
The emergence of COVID-19 in the United States in spring 2020 forced nearly all U.S. schools to transition rapidly to remote learning. Using responses to the American Educator Panels, RAND researchers investigate how schools' pre-pandemic planning translated into remote learning practices and principals' confidence in student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors examine liability and compensation issues relating to the future distribution and administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. They provide a brief history of how liability and compensation concerns have been addressed in previous public health threats, discuss how the global pandemic might complicate matters of legal immunity, and suggest consideration of appropriate compensation for adverse effects to encourage vaccinations.
Combating terrorism continues to be a focus of the U.S. government, and homegrown terrorists are a major concern. In this report, the author examines hundreds of U.S. residents who have traveled or attempted to travel to foreign lands to join or otherwise support terrorist organizations. The findings provide insight into the dimensions and nature of the terrorist threat and the effectiveness of the U.S. response.
The Department of Defense is developing brain-computer interface technology that allows the brain to communicate directly with machines. This technology may eventually be used, for example, to monitor a soldier's cognitive workload, control a drone swarm, or link with a prosthetic. However, the breadth of potential applications should be studied systematically, and policy, safety, legal, and ethical issues must be addressed before deployment.
RAND authors analyzed responses from 2,389 survey respondents about public safety, election integrity, and preparedness of local officials to manage the November 2020 election in the pandemic context. Responses indicate that although most voters say they believe that voting will be safe and that their vote will be counted despite the pandemic, those who question election safety and some who question election integrity appear less likely to vote.
