Join the Tech Impact and Policy Center on April 21st from 12PM–1PM Pacific for a seminar with Jonathan Stray.

Stanford affiliates are invited to join us at 11:40 AM for lunch, prior to the seminar.  The Spring Seminar Series continues through May; see our Spring Seminar Series page for speakers and topics. Sign up for our newsletter for announcements. 

About the Seminar:

There has been much discussion of how AI can help humans cooperate, but much less about what happens when you add AI to humans who disagree -- potentially violently. Social media systems, which are increasingly AI driven, may amplify divisive or escalatory narratives. LLMs may similarly exacerbate conflict, especially if they give different answers to people on different sides. I'll present recent work testing alternative social media algorithms with real users on real platforms in an attempt to reduce polarization around the 2024 election, and using LLMs to produce "politically neutral" answers on maximally controversial topics. These early experiments give us a glimpse into the turbulent future of AI-mediated conflict.
 

About the Speaker:

Jonathan Stray is a Senior Scientist at the Center for Human-compatible AI at UC Berkeley, where he works on the design of AI-driven media with a particular interest in well-being and conflict. Previously, he taught the dual masters degree in computer science and journalism at Columbia University, worked as an editor at the Associated Press, and built document mining software for investigative journalism.
 

Join the Tech Impact and Policy Center on April 14th from 12PM–1PM Pacific for a seminar with David Figlio.

Stanford affiliates are invited to join us at 11:40 AM for lunch, prior to the seminar.  The Spring Seminar Series continues through May; see our Spring Seminar Series page for speakers and topics. Sign up for our newsletter for announcements. 

About the Seminar:

Cellphone bans in schools have become a popular policy in recent years in the United States, yet very little is known about their effects on student outcomes. In this study, we try to fill this gap by examining the causal effects of bans on student test scores, suspensions, and absences using detailed student-level data from Florida and a quasi-experimental research strategy relying upon differences in pre-ban cellphone use by students, as measured by building-level Advan data. Several important findings emerge. First, we show that the enforcement of cellphone bans in schools led to a significant increase in student suspensions in the short-term, especially among Black students, but disciplinary actions began to dissipate after the first year, potentially suggesting a new steady state after an initial adjustment period. Second, we find significant improvements in student test scores in the second year of the ban after that initial adjustment period. Third, the findings suggest that cellphone bans in schools significantly reduce student unexcused absences, an effect that may explain a large fraction of the test score gains. The effects of cellphone bans are more pronounced in middle and high school settings where student smartphone ownership is more common.    

About the Speaker:

David Figlio is the Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics at the University of Rochester, a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research on education policy, the economics of the family, the interaction between early health and human development, and the economics publication process has been published over the past five years in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Labor Economics, and Economic Journal. He recently served as provost at the University of Rochester and dean of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. An elected member of the National Academy of Education, he has served as editor of the Journal of Human Resources and inaugural editor of Education Finance and Policy, and has advised numerous states and countries on education policy.    

Join the Tech Impact and Policy Center on April 7th from 12PM–1PM Pacific for a seminar with Robbie Torney.

Stanford affiliates are invited to join us at 11:40 AM for lunch, prior to the seminar.  The Spring Seminar Series continues through May; see our Spring Seminar Series page for speakers and topics. Sign up for our newsletter for announcements. 

About the Seminar:

As AI products rapidly integrate into the lives of kids and teens, from educational tools to companion chatbots, the technology industry faces fundamental questions about how to design and deploy these systems responsibly. Drawing on three years of risk assessments conducted by the nonprofit Common Sense Media across major AI platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, and numerous AI companion services, this talk examines what we've learned about the gap between current AI design and kid and teen safety. This presentation will outline our approach for evaluating developmental appropriateness in AI systems. Through concrete examples from platform evaluations, we’ll explore patterns we find in safeguarding young users, including in providing “advice” on a range of topics, mental health topics, and more traditional challenges around age appropriate content. These findings reveal structural challenges in how AI products are currently conceived and deployed for young people, from design assumptions that ignore developmental differences to business models that prioritize engagement over safety. Finally, we’ll discuss implications for AI development, deployment, and policy, including the role of age assurance, emerging regulatory approaches, and what product standards for developmental appropriateness might look like in practice.
 

About the Speaker:

Robbie Torney (BA '09, MA '10) is Head of AI & Digital Assessments at Common Sense Media, where he leads the organization's AI safety research and risk assessment methodology. Under his leadership, Common Sense has developed and conducted systematic risk assessments of major AI platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, and Grok, as well as emerging categories like AI companion chatbots and AI toys. His work spans research, policy advocacy, and industry engagement. He has testified before Congress and the California Legislature on AI safety for youth and works directly with technology companies to shape industry standards. His research focuses on evaluating AI systems through frameworks that center developmental appropriateness and child safety by design. Prior to joining Common Sense Media, Robbie spent over a decade in education leadership in Oakland, California, bringing practical understanding of how technology affects children and families to questions of AI policy and responsible development.
 

Drawing from the author’s latest book, Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible (Oxford University Press, 2025), this talk explores how the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan incubates the historical struggle for democracy in the Arab world. Here, the authoritarian monarchy has never suffered revolution or regime change. Yet the economy struggles, there is neither water nor oil, and perpetual protests punctuate the streets. An invention of British colonialism, the kingdom’s fragile borders are still buffeted by refugee crises and regional conflict, and its geopolitical fate has become encaged by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through it all, Jordan’s past and present deliver astonishing narratives of democratic resilience. Opposition forces within society have long battled to transform their autocratic regime—only to be blunted by repression, statecraft, and Western interests. Yet these dreams and demands persist today, making Jordan a surprising fulcrum for the balance of democracy in the Middle East.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Sean Yom is Associate Professor of Political Science at Temple University and Senior Fellow at Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN). His research explores the dynamics of authoritarian institutions, economic development, and US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Jordan, Morocco, and the Gulf. His most recent books include Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible (Oxford University Press, 2025) and The Political Science of the Middle East: Theory and Research since the Arab Uprisings (co-edited with Marc Lynch and Jillian Schwedler; Oxford University Press, 2022).; Oxford University Press, 2022). He sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Middle East Studies and the editorial committee of Middle East Report. He is also a former Stanford CDDRL Postdoctoral Fellow (2009-10). AB, Brown University (2003); PhD, Harvard University (2009).

The U.S.-Israel military aid framework is defined by a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for fiscal years 2019–2028, providing $38 billion ($3.3B annual Foreign Military Financing + $500M annual missile defense). This aid helps fund Israeli defense imports and joint U.S.-Israel projects like the Iron Dome missile defense system, but also provides the U.S. security establishment with unique access to Israeli defense tech. As we near the end of the current MOU, American and Israeli officials have begun discussions over the future of U.S.-Israel military innovation cooperation and financing. Recent developments suggest that the relationship may undergo substantial changes after 2028. The 2026 National Defense Strategy issued by the Pentagon, for example, describes Israel as a "model ally" — a skilled and fiscally responsible partner, bringing substantial national security benefits to the U.S. At the same time, in a recent interview with The Economist, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared he intends to wean Israel off U.S. military aid entirely over the next 10 years. What factors influence U.S.-Israel security cooperation and long-term defense finance planning? How might these relations evolve over the coming decade in a world increasingly defined by war and potential great power conflict? Join former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, for a conversation about these essential questions.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. From 2022 to 2023, he was the Director of the N7 Initiative.

In his most recent government service, Shapiro was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East from 2024 to 2025, and prior to that was Senior Adviser on Regional Integration in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He is a former US ambassador to Israel, serving from 2011 to 2017. Prior to his appointment, he worked as senior director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council at the White House, following his role as senior policy adviser in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

From 2001 to 2007, Shapiro worked as legislative director and later as deputy chief of staff for then-U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. From 1999 to 2001, he was director for legislative affairs at the National Security Council, serving as congressional liaison for National Security Adviser Sandy Berger. Shapiro also previously served as a staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East and as a senior foreign policy adviser to US Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Shapiro has served as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and in 2007, he was named vice president of Timmons & Company. Shapiro was a distinguished visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv from 2017 to 2021. Concurrently, he was a principal at WestExec Advisors.

Virtual Event Only.