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Science Legislation

Testimony
Preparing the Federal Response to Advanced Technologies
As artificial intelligence has advanced rapidly in recent years, debate has expanded about its potential risks, with the relationship to biosecurity being a particular concern. How can the U.S. government respond to emerging threats posed by broadly capable AI systems?
Sep 19, 2023
Commentary
A Model for Regulating AI
While AI will bring many benefits, it is also potentially dangerous. We would do well to establish a model of oversight that focuses on the three parts of the AI supply chain: hardware, the training of each model, and rigorous review before each model is released.
Aug 16, 2023
Report
Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations
What is the progress of the commercial space industry in adopting voluntary standards for participant safety, and towards meeting key metrics that would indicate readiness for regulation?
Apr 3, 2023
Commentary
The CHIPS Act Alone Won't Secure U.S. Semiconductor Supply Chains
The implementation of the CHIPS Act shows promise for revitalizing the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry via investments in research and development, workforce development, and incentive programs. But executing on these ambitions could take some time and may not resolve all semiconductor supply chain risks.
Oct 12, 2022
Report
Virtual roundtable on labelling initiatives, codes of conduct and other voluntary mechanisms to build trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) systems: Summary report
This report summarises the key themes arising at a roundtable organised on 27 April 2022 to discuss the use of codes of conduct, labels and other voluntary self-regulatory mechanisms to help build trustworthy artificial intelligence systems.
Jun 9, 2022
Report
Exploring Ways to Regulate and Build Trust in Artificial Intelligence
Researchers synthesized evidence on the use of labeling initiatives, codes of conduct, and other voluntary, self-regulatory mechanisms for the ethical and safe development of artificial intelligence systems.
Apr 25, 2022
Report
Developing the Great Lakes National Center of Expertise for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response: An Opportunity to Reduce Risk and Impacts of Future Spills in Freshwater
In 2016, Congress directed the U.S. Coast Guard to establish the Great Lakes National Center of Expertise for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response. This report makes recommendations for the center, its staffing, potential partnerships, and location.
Aug 31, 2021
Commentary
Difficult Choices in the Race to Innovate and Compete
Senate passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act recognizes the fierce competition across the globe for leadership in key technology areas. The potential for such a momentous national investment in resources and attention brings with it options and choices for policymakers to consider.
Jun 21, 2021
Dissertation
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Blockchain: Implications and Applications of Blockchain
Explores the implications and applications of blockchain, the technology underpinning contentious cryptocurrencies.
May 25, 2021
Commentary
Biden's Proposed New Health Agency Would Emphasize Innovation. Here's How It Might Work
President Biden has proposed a new health agency modeled on DARPA to work on groundbreaking research. This agency could pursue the kind of high-risk research that can lead to high-reward results and help get more medical treatments to market sooner.
May 24, 2021
Commentary
Scientific Research Integrity Demands Transparency—the Law Should Require It Too
China pays U.S. scientists for their innovations in exchange for money and access to research laboratories and speaking and publication opportunities. They require the researchers to keep these agreements secret from their employers or the U.S. government. Perhaps it is time to codify scientific transparency into law.
Apr 12, 2021
Report
The Benefits and Risks of Face Recognition Technology
Face recognition technologies (FRTs) offer opportunities to improve identification efforts, but they also raise concerns about privacy and bias. Understanding the trade-offs between the utility and risks of FRTs is crucial for evaluating their adoption and implementation.
May 14, 2020
Report
Profile of Institutional Review Board Characteristics Prior to the 2019 Implementation of the Revised Common Rule
This report details the results of a survey of institutional research boards (IRBs) to obtain baseline information on their demographics and their attitudes about their IRBs and the likely effects of proposed changes to the Revised Common Rule.
Jul 31, 2019
Research Brief
Oversight of emerging science and technology: Lessons from history to guide future developments
To help inform decisions about emerging science and technology oversight in the future, RAND Europe studied ten examples of oversight spanning different countries, time periods, and science and technology areas, and identified eight key lessons.
Jun 14, 2019
Report
Ethics in Scientific Research
An analysis of how ethics are created, monitored, and enforced finds which ethical principles are common across scientific disciplines, how these ethics might vary geographically, and how emerging topics are shaping future ethics.
Jun 5, 2019
Report
Oversight of emerging science and technology: Learning from past and present efforts around the world
To help inform decisions about emerging science and technology oversight in the future, RAND Europe studied ten examples of oversight spanning different countries, time periods, and science and technology areas, and identified eight key lessons.
Mar 20, 2019
Commentary
Approaching a 'New Normal': What the Drone Attack in Venezuela Portends
The attempt to assassinate Venezuelan President Maduro showed that drones are easy to use and difficult to defend against. Commercial off-the-shelf technology is easy to acquire. It is imperative that counterterrorism specialists begin planning a robust response to the threat.
Aug 13, 2018
Report
International Commercial Drone Regulation and Drone Delivery Services
Commercial drone regulations vary from country to country; regulatory bodies struggle to adapt current laws to new technology. The author draws on a literature review to summarize regulations and highlight the obstacles to drone use worldwide.
Dec 5, 2017
Report
Options for Regulating Small Unmanned Aerial Systems
The FAA predicts that there will be between 2.75 and 4.47 million small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) flown in the United States by 2021. As the skies become more crowded, action is needed from the federal government and sUAS manufacturers and operators to ensure the public's safety.
Nov 6, 2017
Commentary
After the March for Science: What Now?
Politicized rhetoric may imply otherwise, but scientific expertise and civic participation are not at odds with each other. As the scientific community decides how to respond to shifting political attitudes about science, it's time to focus on a long-term strategy for science policy in the United States.
Apr 26, 2017

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Science and Technology Legislation

Researcher Spotlight

Jacob Ohrvik-Stott

Research Leader & Co-Director, Centre for Futures and Foresight Studies

Jacob Ohrvik-Stott is a research leader at the RAND Corporation and co-director of the RAND Europe Centre for Futures and Foresight Studies (CFFS). Prior to joining RAND he worked in technology, climate and science policy for a range of third sector organisations, professional engineering bodies…
Cristian Cardenas

Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Cristian Cardenas (he/him) is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has an M.B.S. in clinical and regulatory affairs from Keck Graduate Institute and a B.S. in biotechnology with a…

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