Hello, and welcome to this week’s installment of the Future in 5 Questions. This week I interviewed Peter Chandler, executive director of Internet Works, a trade group for small and medium-sized tech companies that includes Discord, eBay, Roblox and Reddit as members. Chandler, a former lobbyist for the industry group TechNet and chief of staff to Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Mike Michaud (D-Maine), discussed why international policy solutions are needed for artificial intelligence, why government is myopic about its relationship with Big Tech, and why he thinks upending Section 230, the law that shields platforms from liability for content they host, would be a self-imposed blow to America. An edited and condensed version of the conversation follows: What’s one underrated big idea? That the transformative potential of AI requires an intentional effort to get the policy right. AI holds the promise to cure cancer, but only if we invest in innovation and give companies the space to bring those solutions to market. Two weeks ago, I attended back-to-back funerals in my home state of Maine for people who died too young from cancer. I found myself uttering the words we’ve all used — “cancer sucks” — and thinking that in a matter of years, we might have solutions that could have prevented those tragic losses. And it reminded me that we don’t have the luxury of time in these debates. Lost in the conversation about the rapid pace of AI innovation is the idea that we need to foster growth and competition — especially among small and medium-sized tech companies. We talk every day about the rapid pace of AI innovation, but we don’t talk enough about the incredible human impact it holds. I fundamentally believe that if we have the difficult policy debates now, we can make good on that promise in our lifetime. What’s a technology that you think is overhyped? Autonomous aviation is an exciting technology, but its reality is much farther away than people realize. Before we bring automation to the air, we need to master it on the ground. For years, I worked on autonomous vehicle policies, and I believe in the enormous potential of autonomous travel — especially the independence it could afford seniors and people with disabilities. Reaching those goals is hard, and it takes time. It’s another technology that we really have to get right, and based on my experience, we’ll need some patience to get it off the ground (pun intended). What book most shaped your conception of the future? Two books I’ve read recently really underscore how we can not only survive in a rapidly changing world, but thrive in it. The first is “Age of Miracles” by Karen Thompson Walker, a fiction book about finding joy when the world is changing so quickly. The second is “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins, which has changed my perspective about focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you can’t. I think both are instructive for anticipating and embracing a world of rapidly advancing technology. What could the government be doing regarding technology that it isn’t? Policymakers and regulators too often view the tech sector as a monolith when it really needs to be right-sizing policy for all the companies it affects. If policy that is intended to address Big Tech fails to consider the unique challenges of Middle Tech, you risk stifling companies that consumers and small businesses rely on. Millions of Americans use online platforms to grow small businesses, find new jobs, book vacations, share information with neighbors, connect with friends, discover local restaurants, or shop online. The members of Internet Works have worked hard to build trust with their users, and they don’t take that trust for granted. The government needs to embrace the fact that the American technology market is incredibly diverse. When it is viewed as only Big Tech, you miss the depth and breadth of the industry. We need companies of all shapes and sizes to have a seat at the table to discuss how sweeping tech policies would not only affect their companies, but the customers and small businesses that rely on them. What has surprised you the most this year? Honestly, I’m really surprised by the willingness of some policymakers to unilaterally disarm ourselves in a rapidly evolving global tech industry. Just in the last few weeks, we have seen two pieces of legislation either introduced or previewed to completely upend Section 230. We also know that some policymakers want to pause all AI innovation while we’re in a race for AI dominance. When we’re making these big strategic decisions, we need to be smart, and we need to get it right. Section 230 has fueled innovation on the Internet and economic growth in our communities. Just look at the first 30 years of Section 230 — it’s responsible for the incredible innovation that built the Internet as we know it today, and we shouldn’t put it back in the box. Just imagine living through the COVID-19 pandemic without the Internet and the possibilities it provided. Small businesses shifted to online sales, and in times of extreme separation, we connected with one another virtually. Any contemplation of reforming Section 230 should be thoughtful and focus on tailored solutions that target a specific harm and minimize unintended consequences.
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