433: AI and the First Amendment

How far can the government go when a president doesn’t like what a broadcaster says? Host Ari Cohn is joined by Berin Szóka (TechFreedom) and Bob Corn-Revere (FIRE) to unpack the escalating fight between ABC and the FCC. From The View and Jimmy Kimmel to ABC’s broadcast licenses, they examine what happens when political pressure collides with the government’s regulatory power—and what it could mean for free speech, the free press, and beyond.Links:TechFreedom and Protect Democracy’s amicus brief in ABC v FCC TechFreedom coalition letter joined by 80+ scholars and organization on FCC abuse of the “public interest” standardTechFreedom’s Opposition to Petitions to Deny ABC License RenewalsBob Corn-Revere - Thank You Brendan CarrBob Corn-Revere - The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the BeholderBerin Szóka - This Isn’t Ronald Reagan’s FCC Berin Szóka - Brendan Carr-leone’s war on the First AmendmentAri Cohn - Commissioner, regulate thyself: The incoming FCC chair is threatening to censor views he doesn't likeJAWBONE Act (S. 4749)

New host Ari Cohn sits down with Taylor Lorenz to unpack the latest push for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), the SCREEN Act, and online age verification. They discuss the free speech and privacy implications of these laws, how government pressure can lead platforms to over-censor, the risks of mandatory identity verification, and why protecting kids online can have consequences for everyone. Ari and Taylor also explore the political forces and moral panic driving tech regulation—and why anonymous speech and the freedom to read may be more important than ever. Links: User Mag Substack User Mag: ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7 The KIDS Act Is Just as Unconstitutional as KOSA ... Just in Different Words KOSA Still Poses a Grave Threat to First Amendment Rights  Kids Online Safety Act Threatens the First Amendment and Minors’ Well-Being The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back - Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Podcast Wall Street Journal: How ICE is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics

Corbin is signing off as host. To mark the occasion, he and new host Ari Cohn go on one final super rant about the state of social-media and AI regulation. Links: Supreme Court to Hear Violent Video Game Case (https://tinyurl.com/y969cv6r) India’s Republic of Uncles (https://tinyurl.com/22xbx668) Save Us, Digital Cronkite! (https://tinyurl.com/35sess4r)

Judge Glock (Manhattan Institute) joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of data center construction in the United States. Links: The Surprising Heart of the Data-Center Boom

Dr. Mekhi Dhesi is a space industry executive at Slingshot Aerospace and a space communicator. She joins the show to discuss orbital mechanics, rocket science, black holes, the Fermi paradox, and more. Follow her on Instagram @cosmic_mekhi!

Host Corbin Barthold heads to New York to speak at FIRE’s Free Speech Future event series. The panel features Kmele Foster (The Fifth Column), Nico Perrino (FIRE), and Prof. Christopher Ferguson (Stetson University). Links: Free Speech Future: Episode III – Cycles of Censorship: Emerging Technologies Free Speech Future

From January 9, 2022 (Episode 310): Daphne Keller discusses her paper “Amplification and Its Discontents” with Corbin Barthold and Ari Cohn. Links: Amplification and Its Discontents: Why Regulating the Reach of Online Content Is Hard Tech Policy Podcast 389: The Rise of the Compliant Speech Platform

Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff discuss their fantastic new book, The Future of Free Speech. Links: The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom

TechFreedom’s Corbin Barthold, Santana Boulton, and Andy Jung discuss whether AI promotes free speech, why AI outputs are protected free expression, why Anthropic should win its First Amendment lawsuit against the Department of War, and much else besides. Links: AI + 1A: Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence Don’t Ban Kids From Using Chatbots Heaven’s Gate—How and When It May Be Entered

Our host, Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom), speaks on a panel at State of the Net with Joel Thayer (Digital Progress Institute) and Ashkhen Kazaryan (The Future of Free Speech), and Luke Hogg (Foundation for American Innovation). They discuss how the First Amendment should work in a world of algorithms and AI. Links: AI + 1A: Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence (Corbin’s new paper) (https://tinyurl.com/mw5vbuzf) State of the Net 2026 Tech Podcast Policy 373: Porn and the First Amendment Tech Podcast Policy 417: Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton Is Wreaking Havoc