RAND Commentary

Biosecurity in the Age of AI: Q&A with Steph Guerra

2026-10-08T13:40:00Z

The question that drives Steph Guerra's work at RAND may be one of the most consequential for this moment in the AI era: How can we harness the full potential of AI for science and medicine—but also ensure it never helps anyone build a biological weapon?

From Strategic Logic to Practical Implementation: A Phased Agenda for U.S.-ROK Shipbuilding Cooperation

2026-10-02T13:35:00Z

U.S.-ROK cooperation on shipbuilding should be structured so that it strengthens U.S. maritime industrial capacity, makes commercial sense for Korean shipbuilders, and survives the political and regulatory constraints on both sides.

9/11's Forgotten Lesson

2026-10-01T17:15:00Z

Twenty-five years later, 9/11's lessons are still contested, except the simplest: the United States mistook quiet for peace. And it is doing so again.

Schools, Cell Phones, and AI: Q&A with Melissa Kay Diliberti

2026-09-30T21:30:00Z

Melissa Kay Diliberti, an associate policy researcher at RAND, discusses recent findings from RAND that can help parents and policymakers better understand what challenges schools are up against.

Netanyahu May Have Ignored a Dire Warning. Israel Ignores the Deeper Threat.

2026-09-22T14:00:00Z

Israel's strategy in Gaza is only keeping Hamas in power: deterred, but not replaced, with no real alternative given a chance. A different outcome calls for a different approach.

Never Underestimate the Houthis

2026-09-21T10:00:00Z

Yemen's Houthi rebels are in a position to shape the next phase of the conflict between the United States and Iran if they attempt to renew their blockade of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. And no one should assume that a deal with Iran will bind what the Houthis do next.

Preserving Jobs and Tax Revenue in the Age of AI: Q&A with Carter Price

2026-09-17T13:30:00Z

Carter Price, a mathematician at RAND and co-director of the RAND Von Furstenberg Family Budget Model Initiative, discusses ways to rebalance the tax code so that it doesn't incentivize employers to replace humans with AI.

The Recent Rise of Women Gun Owners

2026-09-11T14:45:00Z

In recent years, women made up almost half of all new gun owners, a striking shift from the historical norm, when women accounted for about a quarter of them. And the uptick is widespread across geographic and demographic subgroups.

Who Benefits from Education Savings Accounts? Q&A with Susha Roy

2026-09-11T12:00:00Z

Tens of thousands of American families use state-funded education savings accounts for their children's education. How exactly do these accounts work? Who benefits from them? And how do they affect education funding more broadly?

Getting a Security Clearance Doesn't Have to Be So Intimidating: Q&A with Sina Beaghley

2026-09-09T14:00:00Z

The security clearance process can be difficult and time-consuming but the government has made big strides in improving it. Sina Beaghley, a senior international and defense researcher at RAND, has provided much of the research underpinning that effort.

25 Years After 9/11: Lessons for Securing the Homeland

2026-09-08T07:00:00Z

Reflecting on 25 years since the September 11 terror attacks, RAND experts answer questions about protecting soft targets, the role of the TSA, mitigating risks from emerging technologies, and more.

AI Can Now Design Viruses. We Need Biosecurity Guardrails Now

2026-09-04T15:00:00Z

As AI advances, the risk of engineered viral bioweapons is growing. The window to prepare is now—by building a layered, resilient system of defense.

Tomorrow's Victory and the Army of the Future: Forecasting the Next Steps in Ukraine's Military Evolution

2026-09-03T15:30:00Z

Ukraine’s military has changed substantially since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Will its next evolution be shaped by traditionalists or technologists?

When Disaster Strikes, Could AI Help? Q&A with Jessica Jensen

2026-09-02T17:30:00Z

Disasters are more frequent, more severe, and more costly. Pressure is mounting on emergency managers and the organizations that support them. Senior policy researcher Jessica Jensen discusses how artificial intelligence could help carry some of that burden.

Not All ‘Magic’ Mushrooms Are the Same

2026-08-31T17:00:00Z

Millions of U.S. adults use Amanita muscaria mushrooms. But these distinctive fungi aren’t like other psychoactive mushrooms. What do consumers and policymakers need to know about them?

Mirror Life Is Theoretical. The Danger Is Anything But.

2026-08-31T16:00:00Z

With mirror life, scientists have given world leaders both the foresight and the time to address the danger. What's needed isn't alarm but action to ensure that mirror life remains just a footnote in human history—and not its final chapter.

OpenAI Says ChatGPT Is Safer for Teens. Now It Needs to Show Proof.

2026-08-27T20:45:00Z

Now, when OpenAI's system predicts that an account belongs to someone under 18, teen protections are automatically applied without waiting for a parent to activate them. But even ambitious efforts can fall short, and the public needs a way to discover when they do.

Accelerating New Power Plants Depends on Better Data

2026-08-25T14:30:00Z

The United States is embarking on a vast build-out of its electric system. Transparent cost data would help regulators pinpoint avoidable delays, help developers assess risk, and help communities judge the value they are being asked to host.

The Cyclospora Outbreak Was a Warning: Q&A with Saskia Popescu

2026-08-24T16:15:00Z

Saskia Popescu is an epidemiologist by training and a policy researcher at RAND. In this Q&A, she discusses what the United States can do to prepare for future outbreaks like Cyclospora and other biological threats.

The State of Public Education in 2026 in Five Charts

2026-08-17T12:00:00Z

RAND has spent more than a decade surveying educators across the United States and has expanded this effort to include the perspectives of students and parents. Among the hundreds of survey questions we fielded this past year, the results depicted in these five charts stood out the most.