Ravi Iyer

I recently changed jobs to be part of a wider, more constructive conversation about how to improve technology's impact on society (vs. debating whether it is good or bad). Looking to work together with like minded folks. More at psychoftech.substack.com/p/toward-a-mor….

Human beings are called to be co-workers in the work of creation, not merely passive consumers of content generated by artificial technology. Our dignity lies in our ability to reflect, choose freely, love unconditionally, and enter into authentic relationships with others. Recognizing and safeguarding what characterizes the human person and guarantees their balanced growth is essential for establishing an adequate framework to manage the consequences of artificial intelligence. vatican.va/content/leo-xi…

Social media is one the least meaningful things we do; spending time with family is one of the most. Yet we are spending more time on social media and less with our kids.

It was an honor to lead this fight on behalf of kids, parents, states, creators, and all individuals who would suffer the consequences of an AI moratorium. Until Congress passes federal legislation like my NO FAKES Act and the Kids Online Safety Act, we cannot remove these protections. Thank you to all 98 of my colleagues who supported this effort.

Big victory for parents, kids and workers

Thank you @MarshaBlackburn for putting our kids ahead of the profits of technology companies. cc @JonHaidt

Just last year, millions of high school students said they knew a classmate who had been victimized by AI-generated image based sexual abuse. This is why countless organizations are opposing misguided efforts to block state laws on AI. We must stand with them. blackburn.senate.gov/services/files…

EXPO 2025: Two Hybrid Events, Global Programming 📅 June 26 | 🌎 Americas | EMEA | Asia Pacific How can tech foster trust, cohesion, and collaboration—instead of fueling division and violence? Join global voices shaping the future of prosocial tech. techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo

@victoria4nh @JonHaidt Many school safety experts also do not recommend the use of cellphones during school emergencies. Some great concrete stories in this podcast - youtube.com/watch?v=Z7G7T7…

@victoria4nh @JonHaidt In case hepful as a data point - removing phones from schools has increased school safety in many districts. For example, Fayetteville Arkansas saw major incidents including altercations, fights and threats drop from 53 to 12 - nwaonline.com/news/2025/may/….

Parents have reached out to me and do not want bell-to-bell. I agree that schools should have a policy in place and that teachers and administrators should enforce it. The state has no way to enforce this in the classroom. Teachers want state legislators to be the scapegoats. This is why we have so many disciplinary issues. Manchester, NH schools had over 1000 incidents of violence last year because no one is enforcing policy. Schools 100% have the authority to put in bell-to-bell right now. But they know parents don’t want it. God forbid there is an incident and kids have no access to call for help, there would be tremendous backlash. I don’t want that on my conscience. For folks who say, “we didn’t have cell phones…” you are correct. But we did have pay phones and police call boxes. We also did not have school shooters.

The attack in Minnesota is a heartbreaking reminder of what happens when we allow hatred to replace our shared humanity. My heart goes out to the lawmakers and their families during this devastating time. In a free society, disagreement is inevitable. Violence is not. We must recommit to the virtues that hold us together—and to the conviction that every person, regardless of politics, deserves our respect.

If states can’t regulate AI for 10 years, we’re no better than China. This poison-pill clause DESTROYS federalism. President Trump never campaigned on destroying states rights for AI. We need to protect American jobs and American workers, not replace them with machines.

The Big Beautiful Bill contains a provision banning state & local governments from regulating AI. It’s worse than you think. It would make it easier for corporations to get zoning variances, so massive AI data centers could be built in close proximity to residential areas.

@paulg Maybe the value of social media to users is not in posting daily. That’s part of the issue with the growth hacking model applied to social media. It doesn’t necessarily relate to what users aspirational goals are. Most of us want to spend less time on our phones.

Bluesky's usage graph. The pattern here is bad. Spikes when a bunch of new people show up, followed by declines when the new arrivals are disappointed.

The fate of Jews and Muslims are linked. The more we hurt each other, the more we hurt ourselves. October 7 led to the horrors in Gaza, which led to the murder in DC, which will lead to more deportations and attacks on Muslims, which will lead to more attacks on Jews. The more suffering we put into the world, the more we will suffer ourselves. Stop. We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

@joyopal congrats!

I found out that I can finally refer to myself as 'Professor'. It took this long to get the job with no qualifier of assistant, associate, without tenure, without ambition, without kidney etc. Had I become a cricketer, I would be a retired commentator a decade and a half ago.

@taylordbarkley Most deepfakes of kids are not sexual in nature - cdt.org/wp-content/upl…. Nor are there restrictions on AI chatbots. I have no faith in congress adequately addressing these issues since congress has consistently chosen big tech profit over kids safety (see KOSA last year).

@RaviDataIyer They did just pass the TAKE IT DOWN Act: congress.gov/bill/119th-con…

This clause would not prevent a new federal safety law from being enacted. It also does not prevent states from imposing existing laws. Either way, new AI-specific harms would not be confined to state borders so Congress is better positioned to act than the states. This provision leaves that option open.

@ZacharyLeeLee worrying about things like AI powered non-consensual imagery or AI chatbots is not fear mongering - they are very tangible real risks that Netchoice members create.

Disappointing to see fear mongering as the reflex to innovation policy. Nothing in the proposed language would prevent states or the federal government from enforcing existing tech-neutral protections or writing new ones.

@RandolphCarterZ @JonHaidt If congress wants to make a set of real rules, then we could have that debate. But this current proposal effectively says that there will be no rules for 10 years.

@JonHaidt There needs to be one set of rules. Software doesn't work on a "submit these 90 forms because the fine folks of Gary, Indiana can download it" basis.

Providing AI with an exemption from state legislation would be dangerous in a world where an increasing number of our kids are being targeted by AI companions, AI generated deepfakes, and AI powered social media algorithms. Protecting our kids is not a partisan issue and we should all oppose this gift to the tech companies that are already harming our kids at an industrial scale.

@typewriters @JonHaidt do apps that allow kids to create nudes of other kids qualify as "innovation"? bbc.com/news/videos/cx… - Happy to have that stifled.

You stifle innovation by asking new companies to comply with hundreds of different state level AI laws, many of which are ill informed - influenced by ideologies and special interests rather than facts - and do not make us safer. We need more innovation to build solutions for the critical problems you identify.