How location sharing apps change the ways we communicate

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

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URBANA, Ill. – Mobile apps that allow people to share their location with others have become increasingly popular. But how and why do we use these apps, and what are the implications for interpersonal communication? That’s the topic of a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“I was teaching a class on relationship development to undergraduate students, and I made a comment about location sharing. They all got very animated, sharing experiences and asking questions about use cases. I realized there was very little research about this topic, so I decided to conduct a study,” said lead author Brian Ogolsky, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at U. of I.

“I believe knowing how people use these technologies helps us to understand the scripts and the processes that underpin relationships, how they are changing, and what that means for how we relate to each other.”

Ogolsky and his colleagues conducted an online survey with individuals across the U.S. and the U.K., asking them to describe their location sharing practices.  

Respondents on average shared their location with 3.86 people, with a span ranging from 1 to 83. The majority reported using the Find My app for iPhone, followed by Google Maps, Life360, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.

People most often shared their location with their romantic partner, then friends, siblings, parents, children, other family members, and roommates.

The researchers organized the reasons people were sharing their location into four main categories: safety, practicality, casual use, and relationship processes.

Safety was the main reason for sharing location with immediate family, parents, and children.

“Respondents said it helps them feel safer knowing where someone is. That’s unsurprising; however, it’s really an illusion of safety. Knowing where my partner is 50 miles from here does not mean I can help them in a pinch, or that I can get somebody to help them. It may be more about peace of mind than actual safety,” Ogolsky said.  

For romantic partners and friends, practicality was the most common reason for sharing. That included convenience and planning, such as what time to make dinner, or coordinating who picks up the kids. Respondents also mentioned keeping track of people who are traveling, or interacting with others who live or work in different places.  

Casual use included sharing location for fun and novelty. Some respondents said it seemed interesting or entertaining, and there was no specific intent. For example, they would share location with everyone in their friend group and then forget about it.

Finally, the researchers identified relationship processes as a separate category, indicating usage specifically intended to maintain, support, and manage a relationship. This could be about trust, honesty, and open communication. A few people also mentioned pressure or expectations from their partner or family members about their roles and responsibilities.

Ogolsky pointed out there are potential drawbacks when technology replaces human interaction.

“Our findings highlight we’re heading towards a world where technological changes will dictate how and when we communicate. Location sharing is moving from primarily safety-related causes into the relationship realm, where it alters communication,” he said.

“You can check where someone is and decide you don’t want to bother them, so you don’t call or text. It takes away the ability of the person to say whether they would like to talk right now, and removes interpersonal negotiation.”

People come to depend on technology; for example, if you plan to meet someone at a concert and your phone dies, you may not be able to find each other. Location sharing with friend groups can also create a sense of FOMO, the fear of missing out, if you notice other people getting together without you.

Giving others access to your location also raises privacy concerns. However, this appears to be less important to younger generations who have grown up in a world where they have been surveilled by tech companies since they were born. Their idea of what should be private information is fundamentally different than older generations, Ogolsky noted.

There are also implications regarding whether location sharing information can be used as evidence in criminal court cases, and it can be misused in abusive relationships.

Ultimately, most people adopt a new technology because they think it's going to make their lives easier.

“There is something to be said for streamlining the minutia of relationships. A lot of people do not like planning; they do not like waiting. With location sharing, they can get information about others without intruding, they can be where they need to be at the right times. If they can squeeze in one more thing, that can be a real benefit for some people,” Ogolsky concluded.

The study, “Near, Far, Wherever You Are: With Whom and Why Do People Use Location Sharing in Relationships,” is published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships  [DOI: 10.1177/02654075261446344]. This research was supported by Hatch funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

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Journal

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

DOI

10.1177/02654075261446344 

Article Title

Near, Far, Wherever You Are: With Whom and Why Do People Use Location Sharing in Relationships

Should you accept internet cookies? BU researchers say the open web could suffer without them

New study finds ad revenue that supports digital publishers and content creators tumbles when cookies are removed

Boston University

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It’s a choice you may face multiple times a day—and, at this point, your reaction is probably reflexive. Are you going to accept those internet cookies, reject them, or spend a little time customizing your settings?

Increasingly, internet users are pushing back against cookies—the digital crumbs used by websites and advertisers to spot returning customers—by choosing privacy-enhancing browsers or clicking that reject button. But ditching the cookies may have big implications for the free web. If digital companies, content creators, and advertisers aren’t making money from our surfing, the quality and usefulness of the products they offer might suffer too.

In a new study, Boston University researchers highlight the potential impact the loss of cookies has on advertisers and how alternative systems designed to balance privacy and revenue fail to recoup the costs.

They analyzed 200 million ad impressions—or views—worldwide and found that removing cookies cut website publishers’ revenue by more than a third. They also discovered that privacy-enhanced alternatives, notably a major Google project called Privacy Sandbox, only clawed back a small portion of that lost revenue. The findings were published in PNAS, the National Academy of Sciences’ flagship journal.

“Internet cookies—especially third-party cookies—have been central to how online advertising works,” says Garrett Johnson, a BU Questrom School of Business associate professor of marketing. Third-party cookies are those placed by an organization, like an advertiser, not connected to the site you’re on. “In our study, removing third-party cookies reduced publisher ad revenue by about 35 percent—and about 66 percent in the European Union—showing that cookies still play a major economic role in supporting the open web.” The European Union has tougher online privacy rules than much of the rest of the world.

According to Zhengrong Gu, a Questrom PhD candidate, because cookies help advertisers spot users around the web, they can better target and measure their ads. That makes advertisers’ spending more efficient, putting more ad money in the pockets of content creators and publishers. “If more users decline cookies, it would likely reduce the effectiveness of digital advertising and the revenue that supports much of the open web,” says Gu (Questrom’26). 

The downside of cookies: no one really likes being followed. “Website cookies are online surveillance tools,” wrote Wayne State University researcher Elizabeth Stoycheff in a Conversation article, “and the commercial and government entities that use them would prefer people not read those notifications too closely.”

There have been a couple of different responses to the decline in cookie use. One is the implementation of paywalls and subscriptions to keep the cash flowing; another is requiring customers to use log-ins that work across multiple sites. Tech companies are also experimenting with privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) that try to balance advertising needs with user privacy concerns. One of the best known PETs is Privacy Sandbox, Google’s now-defunct six-year experiment in cookie alternatives, which included innovations such as a browser tool that shared a customer’s interests rather than their detailed online history.

“In our study, Privacy Sandbox recovered only about 4 percent of the revenue lost when cookies were removed,” says Shunto J. Kobayashi, a Questrom assistant professor of marketing. That weak impact was in part due to the limited adoption of the new tools and because they changed the user experience, he says, introducing “technical frictions, especially slower ad loading times.”

In their paper, the researchers write that their findings, alongside those from other studies, “informed Google’s decision to abandon its plan to replace cookies with Privacy Sandbox. The episode underscores the difficulty of aligning privacy, performance, and competition goals in digital markets.”

To examine privacy technologies in a real-world setting, the BU team used data from ad management firm Raptive, and leveraged an experiment conducted by Google and overseen by the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority. During the study, Chrome users were randomly assigned to one of three groups: cookies-enabled, cookies-disabled, or cookies replaced by Privacy Sandbox. The study included around 60 million desktop and mobile Chrome users.

“The experiment created a rare opportunity for independent, large-scale evaluation open to external participants,” says Johnson, an expert on digital marketing who has studied privacy regulations, online ad effectiveness, and the economics of digital advertising. 

He adds that many European regulators are considering even tighter online privacy rules, which could have a negative impact: “Our results provide unusually strong evidence—from a global, industry-wide field experiment—that restricting cookies carries significant economic downsides that regulators should consider.”

As for users faced with that daily accept or reject decision, Johnson recognizes that everyone will make the call that works for them—but he leans toward clicking “accept.”

“From my perspective, accepting cookies creates substantial benefits for the advertising ecosystem and the publishers I care about,” he says, “with what I perceive to be little personal risk.”

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Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2603752123 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Can privacy technologies replace cookies? Ad revenue in a field experiment

Alternative social media algorithms can help users form more accurate and less polarized beliefs

A new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that simple changes to how posts are sorted in our feed can increase consensus and factual understanding among users

University of Copenhagen

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image: 

Schematic of the experimental design

 In Study 1, we recruit 500 residents of the United States and record their demographics and political leaning. Participants then indicate their prior beliefs on six topics.
For each topic, participants are then presented with 12 argumentative posts that they must either upvote, downvote, or pass (at least two upvotes and two downvotes per topic). The output of Study 1 is a content inventory — 72 posts across six topics that have been engaged with by liberals and conservatives — from which we can algorithmically sample and rank posts to generate feeds.

In Study 2, we recruit a new sample of 1,000 United States residents and record their demographics and political leaning. Participants then proceed through a belief updating task where, for each topic, they state their prior belief on a topic, then view a feed of three posts pertaining to said topic (selected and ranked by one of the five algorithms tested), and then revise their belief on said topic. Once the belief updating task has been completed for each of the six topics, participants indicate their subjective perceptions of the posts they saw along three dimensions: how {civil, insightful, emotional} the posts were.

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Credit: Credit: Jason William Burton, University of Copenhagen

Most of us rarely think about why we see the posts, videos, or articles that appear in our social media feeds. But the way content is sorted and presented not only decides what we see; it also greatly influences what we believe, know, and think.

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Dresden University of Technology, and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development demonstrate that even minimal changes to the algorithms that sort content for users can shift both the degree of polarization in groups and the accuracy of their assessments of reality.

“The platforms will say that their algorithms are just designed to help their users find the content they want to see. But our study shows how the way the algorithms work can have potentially harmful effects on how users form beliefs about the world,” says Jason William Burton, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology and the Center for Social Data Science, and lead author of the study. He adds:

“Our results are, on the one hand, concerning because the social media platforms have become such dominant fora for civic discussion in our society, but our study could, on the other hand, be interpreted in a positive light as we show that it is possible to design algorithms that help users find more mutual understanding on these platforms.”

Engagement feels good but may mislead
Most major social media platforms rank content based on engagement, such as likes, reactions, or shares. The new study suggests that while this approach gives users content they find appealing, it may also have unintended consequences.

“Algorithms optimized for engagement can feel informative and satisfying, but that doesn’t mean they help people understand the world more accurately,” says Jason Burton.

He and his colleagues found that a personalized, engagement‑based ranking algorithm similar to those used by platforms like Facebook and X led participants to form more polarized and less accurate beliefs than any other algorithm tested.

Ironically, these same feeds were also rated by users as more “insightful” and received more positive feedback.

Testing alternatives to today’s algorithms
To explore whether social media could be designed differently, the researchers compared engagement‑based ranking with two alternative approaches – the so-called bridging‑based ranking, which prioritizes posts that receive approval from people across political divides; and intelligence‑based ranking, which prioritizes content likely to improve the overall accuracy of collective judgments.

“The bridging algorithm increased consensus between liberal and conservative participants in some cases while the intelligence algorithm improved the accuracy of their factual judgments compared with both random and engagement-based ranking,” explains Jason Burton and adds:

“Our results thus suggest that it is indeed possible to design feeds that don’t divide or mislead people.”

Good for business or democracy?
According to the researchers, the study raises an important question: What values should social media platforms support? Today, platforms primarily optimize for engagement because this is what is best for business.

“Our experiment shows that we should explore more types of algorithms because these can have positive effects on deliberative outcomes on social media. It challenges the idea that engagement-driven social media is the only viable model,” concludes Jason Burton.

The platforms themselves may hesitate to use alternative algorithms if they pose a threat to their business model so Jason Burton and his colleagues suggest that political regulation may be necessary to change the current situation.

The study “Simple changes to content curation algorithms affect the beliefs people form in a collaborative filtering experiment” is published in the Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, where it received an honorable mention for best paper.

About the study
In order to measure how algorithms affect polarization and the accuracy of group beliefs, the researchers conducted a controlled two-stage online experiment with residents of the United States, half liberals and half conservatives.

Stage 1
Five hundred participants evaluated 72 short, argumentative posts across six political and societal topics (e.g. social media regulation, religion, and concrete societal forecasts). Each participant upvoted, downvoted, or ignored each post, allowing the researchers to map which types of content liberals and conservatives tended to support or reject.

Stage 2
A new group of 1,000 participants was asked to state their beliefs on the same six topics, then they were shown short three-post “feeds,” and then they we asked to re-state their beliefs. The posts that appeared in a participant’s feed depended on which condition they were assigned to, with each condition involving a different approach to algorithmic content curation:

• random ranking,
• engagement-based ranking (content that received the most engagement of any kind),
• personalized engagement-based ranking (content approved by your political in-group),
• bridging-based ranking (content approved by both liberals and conservatives)
• and intelligence-based ranking (content expected to improve collective belief accuracy).

The researchers then measured whether participants’ beliefs converged or polarized (consensus); whether group-level judgments became more or less accurate; and how participants perceived the content (e.g. as civil, emotional, or insightful).

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DOI

10.1145/3772318.3790602 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Simple changes to content curation algorithms affect the beliefs people form in a collaborative filtering experiment

 

Green innovation and AI adoption drive sustainable advantage for construction SMEs in emerging economies

New study finds financial resources, institutional support, and AI-enabled innovation are critical for sustainable competitiveness in Pakistan’s construction sector

Bentham Science Publishers

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Construction SMEs in emerging economies face mounting pressure to balance sustainability goals with competitiveness amid climate change and rapid digital transformation. A new study examining Pakistan’s construction sector found that green product innovation, AI adoption, and institutional support play a critical role in helping firms achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

Researchers surveyed 228 construction SMEs and used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to investigate how financial resources influence sustainability performance through green innovation strategies. The study found that green product innovation fully mediates the relationship between financial resources and sustainable competitive advantage, meaning firms gain stronger long-term benefits when financial investments are directed toward eco-friendly innovation.

The findings also revealed that AI adoption significantly strengthens the positive impact of green innovation on business performance. AI technologies such as predictive analytics, digital twins, generative design, and AI-driven logistics optimization help firms improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance sustainability outcomes.

Institutional support, including regulatory clarity, sustainability incentives, and access to green finance, was also found to strengthen the relationship between financial resources and green innovation adoption. Researchers noted that clear and consistent environmental policies are more influential than financial incentives alone in encouraging sustainable transformation among SMEs.

The study highlights that sustainable competitive advantage in construction SMEs does not emerge from isolated capabilities but from the coordinated interaction of financial resources, environmental innovation, digital transformation, and supportive institutional frameworks. Researchers argue that policymakers and industry leaders should prioritize green financing mechanisms, AI capability development, and long-term sustainability policies to accelerate the transition toward environmentally responsible construction practices in emerging economies.

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DOI

10.1177/23939575261444792 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Activating Resources for Sustainable Advantage: Green Innovation, AI Adoption and Institutional Support in Construction SMEs of an Emerging Economy

Green innovation and digital marketing shape sustainable brand success among Gen Z consumers

New study finds green brand image plays a critical mediating role between eco-innovation, digital strategy, and sustainable marketing performance in Bali

Bentham Science Publishers

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As environmental awareness continues to reshape consumer behavior, a new study highlights how green product innovation and digital marketing strategies are helping brands strengthen sustainable marketing performance among Generation Z consumers.

Researchers developed an integrative green marketing model to examine how eco-friendly product innovation and digital marketing influence sustainable marketing outcomes, with green brand image serving as a key mediating factor. The study focused on Gen Z consumers in Bali, a region increasingly recognized for its sustainable fashion and environmentally conscious lifestyle movements.

Using a mixed-method sequential explanatory approach, the researchers combined quantitative analysis through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with qualitative interviews involving business owners and marketing practitioners in the sustainable fashion and lifestyle sector.

The findings revealed that green product innovation, including eco-design, recyclable materials, environmentally friendly packaging, and energy-efficient production processes, significantly improves green brand image. Digital marketing strategies, particularly sustainability-focused social media communication and transparent online engagement, were also found to strongly enhance brand image and directly improve sustainable marketing performance.

Importantly, the study found that green product innovation does not directly translate into stronger marketing performance unless consumers perceive the brand as genuinely environmentally responsible. This confirms the critical mediating role of green brand image in converting environmental innovation into customer trust, loyalty, advocacy, and repurchase intentions.

The qualitative findings further showed that Gen Z consumers value authenticity and transparency in sustainability claims. Brands that openly communicate their environmental practices, certifications, and behind-the-scenes sustainability efforts through digital platforms are more likely to build emotional connections and long-term engagement with young consumers.

The research also demonstrated that sustainable practices generate measurable environmental benefits by reducing waste, encouraging recycling, and supporting resource-efficient production systems. These findings align with the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV), which argues that environmental responsibility can become a long-term source of competitive advantage.

Although market orientation did not significantly strengthen the relationship between green brand image and sustainable marketing performance, researchers noted that organizations still benefit from understanding changing consumer expectations and adapting quickly to sustainability trends.

The study provides important implications for businesses, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), seeking to compete in sustainability-driven markets. Researchers recommend integrating environmental innovation with authentic digital communication strategies to strengthen green reputation and improve long-term marketing outcomes.

The findings contribute to growing discussions surrounding sustainable consumption, green branding, and the role of digital engagement in shaping environmentally responsible consumer behavior among younger generations.

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DOI

10.1142/S0219877026500094 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Integrative Model of Green Marketing: Product Innovation, Digital Strategy, and the Role of Brand Image Mediation in Gen Z Consumers

AI-driven job insecurity fuels burnout among manufacturing workers in emerging economies

New study finds psychological safety and AI self-efficacy can protect employees from stress and burnout during workplace AI transformation

Bentham Science Publishers

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping manufacturing industries worldwide, but a new study suggests the transition may come at a psychological cost for employees, particularly in emerging economies where workforce protections and digital preparedness remain limited.

Researchers investigating AI-integrated manufacturing firms in Pakistan found that AI-induced job insecurity significantly increases employee burnout, while psychological safety and confidence in working with AI systems can help buffer workers from the negative emotional impacts of technological disruption.

The study, published in Human Systems Management, surveyed 208 employees working in manufacturing sectors undergoing AI-driven transformation, including textiles, surgical instruments, and leather production industries. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the researchers examined how fears related to AI adoption influence employee well-being and workplace behavior.

The findings revealed that employees who fear job displacement, role marginalization, or skill obsolescence due to AI integration are significantly more likely to experience burnout, including emotional exhaustion and disengagement from work. The researchers found that these effects become stronger when workers perceive low levels of psychological safety in their organizations.

Psychological safety refers to employees’ belief that they can openly communicate concerns, ask questions, seek support, or make mistakes without fear of punishment or embarrassment. According to the study, AI-related uncertainty can erode this sense of interpersonal safety, especially in workplaces with hierarchical structures and limited transparency during technological change.

The researchers also identified AI self-efficacy as a critical protective factor. Employees who reported higher confidence in their ability to learn, use, and adapt to AI technologies experienced less decline in psychological safety and were better able to cope with job insecurity. In other words, workers who believe they can successfully engage with AI systems are more resilient during digital transformation.

“Our findings show that successful AI integration depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on psychosocial readiness,” the authors explained. “Organizations must ensure that employees feel supported, informed, and capable during periods of technological change.”

The study developed and tested a moderated mediation framework integrating Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and Uncertainty Management Theory (UMT). Results confirmed that psychological safety partially mediates the relationship between AI-induced job insecurity and burnout, while AI self-efficacy moderates the impact of insecurity on psychological safety.

Researchers emphasized that the challenges identified in the study are especially relevant in emerging economies, where rapid digitalization often outpaces workforce training and institutional support systems. In such contexts, employees may face technological disruption without adequate opportunities for reskilling or career transition support.

The authors recommend that organizations adopt human-centered AI implementation strategies that prioritize employee well-being alongside technological advancement. Suggested interventions include AI literacy and reskilling programs, transparent communication regarding AI adoption plans, ethical leadership practices, and initiatives designed to foster psychologically safe work environments.

The researchers argue that AI transformation should not be viewed solely as a technological or economic process, but also as a human and organizational challenge requiring long-term investment in employee resilience and support systems.

The study contributes to growing international discussions surrounding the psychological and social consequences of AI adoption in workplaces and highlights the importance of balancing innovation with workforce sustainability in industrial settings.

 

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DOI

10.1177/01672533261439540 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

AI-induced job insecurity and employee burnout: The moderating role of AI self-efficacy in emerging market manufacturing

From graduation boos to voter unease: AI anxiety grows in the US

Washington (United States) (AFP) – Speakers promoting AI are getting booed at universities, voters are rebelling against data centers, and even AI-friendly Trump administration officials are starting to retreat as an artificial intelligence backlash gathers pace across the United States.

Issued on: 20/05/2026 - RFI

Inflatable punching bags with added pictures of Elon Musk and Sam Altman are seen outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and US Courthouse as the Musk v. Altman trial begins in Oakland, California in April 2026 © Karl Mondon / AFP

The rapid spread of the emerging technology is seeing early enthusiasm give way to concerns about unemployment, rising costs, misinformation and security.

"People are thinking about what their future is going to look like. That existential fear is a very animating anxiety," said Christabel Randolph, acting executive director at the Center for AI and Digital Policy, a Washington-based think tank.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt got a taste of that feeling Friday when he was delivering a graduation speech at the University of Arizona.

Wearing a black academic gown and a tassel-topped cap, Schmidt urged students not to fear the AI-fueled technological transformation that he said will "touch every profession, every classroom, every hospital, every laboratory, every person and every relationship you have."

Instead of clapping, his speech prompted loud boos.

Accept change 'or pay'

According to opinion polling cited by the Semafor news outlet, 70 percent of Americans think AI is moving too fast, over 50 percent have negative views of it, and just 18 percent of young people feel hopeful about it.

With the US economy battered by stubborn inflation and the tech industry seeing AI-fueled layoffs, young Americans fear their costly university degrees, many paid for with large student loans, will be rendered useless by AI, leaving them without jobs and pay.

When Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, tried to tell Middle Tennessee State University graduates to embrace inevitable change, he too got a hostile reception.

"You can hear me now or you can pay me later," he quipped. "Do something about it, it's a tool, make it work for you."

Booing followed.

'Really, really angry'

AI expansion is driving a massive build-out of data centers -- and that infrastructure is now becoming a political flashpoint.

Data centers consume large amounts of electricity and can raise utility costs, which has seen local officials supporting AI projects suffering losses at the ballot box in recent months. Some of the discontent has spilled into violence.

Last month, a young man threw a Molotov cocktail at the California home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In a separate incident a few days earlier, a city council member in the state of Indiana had his door struck by gunfire after he expressed support for a data center construction project.

A note the attackers left under his doormat read "No Data Centers."

Randolph, the AI expert, cited a May Gallup poll showing that AI data centers are even less popular than nuclear power plants, with 71 percent of Americans opposing local AI data centers compared with 53 percent opposed to nearby nuclear plants.

"Americans are really, really angry and upset about AI data centers because of the noise, the pollution, the impact on their electricity bills, on water supplies," she told AFP, adding that AI expansion will be a key issue in the November midterms and possibly in the 2028 presidential vote.

"It's becoming a very relevant political issue," she added.

'Have to be careful'

The Trump administration itself appears to be changing its stance.

Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has positioned himself as an advocate for rapid AI development, rolling back Biden-era safety requirements and dismissing regulation as a constraint on US competitiveness with China.

But in recent months, the administration announced that it wants to vet AI models before they are released, urged Congress to adopt nationwide regulations on AI and discussed AI guardrails with China.

Asked about the risks of AI on Fox News' "Mornings with Maria" program last month, Trump answered:

"There are a lot of good things, but we have to be careful with it."

© 2026 AFP