Daniel Castro

Korea should pass a coherent digital asset framework that gives firms room to build and compete. Restrictions on stablecoin issuers and crypto exchanges should demonstrate measurable public benefits.

Governments are increasingly relying on private tech companies for public services. This doesn't have to be a problem: Controlled dependency can even make the state more efficient.

Assigning an advanced industry to every region will not, by itself, create successful tech hubs. Korea should concentrate resources in promising clusters, revise funding as private investment and customer demand emerge, and improve daily life in waning communities.

Developing common AI safety standards does not, by itself, undermine competition. Policymakers should not force companies to choose between competing vigorously and working together to prevent serious safety risks. Antitrust law should allow both.

Democrats should approach data centers as they have clean-energy infrastructure: take legitimate local concerns seriously and mitigate their impacts without allowing opposition to become a blanket rejection of development. As AI drives growing demand for data centers, policymakers should balance community protections with the economic, technological, and clean-energy benefits these investments can provide.

Mandating broader transparency around algorithmic or personalized pricing requires congressional legislation to weigh costs and benefits, and the FTC should revise its policy statement to target law violations without restricting legitimate personalized pricing.

In an op-ed for National Review, President Daniel Castro argues that the United States should address specific AI risks without sacrificing the economic freedom, competition, and market-driven innovation that give America an edge over China in the global AI race.

AI presents real risks that warrant serious investment in security, testing, monitoring, and accountability, but claims that it poses an imminent existential threat lack a clear empirical basis. Rather than slowing AI development, policymakers should focus on evidence-based safeguards that make increasingly capable AI systems safer and more reliable.

Data centers can deliver substantial tax revenue, jobs, infrastructure investment, and lower utility costs when communities adopt policies that capture their benefits while managing local impacts.

The United States will not realize the full benefits of AI if policymakers treat it primarily as a technology that needs to be constrained.

Building factories is not the same as achieving lasting industrial strength. Korea should design its “Three Megaprojects” as reference factories that give suppliers the testing, qualification, and commercial track records needed to win customers around the world.

Korea should use its AI-memory windfall to finance the shared capabilities, research infrastructure, and commercialization pathways needed to create the next boom. The Future Response Fund should address enduring commercialization gaps, not create permanent spending commitments.

Daniel Castro spoke about unlocking Indonesia’s AI opportunities and fostering an innovation-friendly AI ecosystem at the U.S.-Indonesia Digital Trade and AI Cooperation Forum hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Daniel Castro speaks about the potential of improving science and technology policy through the use of AI and predictive analytics on the "Intelligence beyond Information, Signal beyond Noise: EWS Detecting Emerging Security" panel at the 2026 Intelligence Dialogue in Seoul, South Korea, hosted by the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI).

The sixth annual AR/VR Policy Conference presented by Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the XR Association will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Daniel Castro moderates a panel on how the United States can responsibly govern the rapid development of data centers at the 2026 Internet Governance Forum USA hosted by the Internet Society Washington DC Chapter.

Watch now for a discussion on what new polling reveals about Americans' views on data centers and the implications for U.S. AI policy. Panelists unpacked the motivations behind public opinion, examined what widespread resistance to new data center development could mean for America's AI competitiveness, and explored policy approaches that address legitimate community concerns without sacrificing the infrastructure needed to support long-term U.S. leadership in AI.

Daniel Castro speaks about the importance of accelerating AI adoption in the U.S. economy at the Capitol Hill Conference on AI, Cyber, & Tech Policy Priorities hosted by the Lexington Institute.

Daniel Castro presented on the evolving role of frontier AI firms in international security at an international symposium hosted by the University of International Relations in Beijing.

Daniel Castro speaks about policy opportunities and challenges at the Partnerships for Autonomous Science Workshop hosted by the AI Science Foundry at Carnegie Mellon University.

Daniel Castro speaks about the impact of AI on global trade at an event hosted by the Washington College of Law at American University.

Daniel Castro speaks about building global consensus on AI at a workshop hosted by Peking University.

The fifth annual AR/VR Policy Conference presented by ITIF and the XR Association took place on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. Watch the conference livestream.

Watch now for an expert discussion surrounding the implications of location verification requirements for AI chips.