In a provocative new column, the Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles warns that America’s approach to technology regulation is dangerously inverted — cracking down on artificial intelligence while giving social media a pass, when it should be the other way around.
The piece, published Wednesday, argues that social media is a proven public health disaster for children, while AI represents a potential economic lifeline that Washington is on the verge of strangling with red tape.
Social Media: ‘A Disaster Area’ for Kids
Knowles opens with a blunt assessment: “If we would like to destroy ourselves, what we should do is free up social media and restrict AI.” The column comes the same day Facebook reached a massive settlement with 29 states over its handling of children’s data, a deal that will impose new restrictions on the platform’s use of technology for minors.
“Social media is disastrous for kids’ brains,” Knowles writes. “It acts like a drug; it addicts them.” He draws a direct comparison to nicotine, describing the dopamine-release mechanisms built into feeds and notifications as “hacked brains.” The column cites brain studies and describes the phenomenon of young children becoming “little zombies” around iPads — an experience many parents will recognize.
Knowles is unambiguous about what he wants: “I think there should be heavy-handed regulation on social media; you should be banned from social media completely until you are of age.” He notes his own 12-year-old has no interest in the platforms, but says many parents aren’t as engaged.
The AI Paradox: Fear vs. Economic Upside
The column pivots to what Knowles sees as a bizarre disconnect in public sentiment. Americans, he says, have grown oddly warmer toward Facebook and Instagram even as they’re gripped by unease about AI — a technology that could, he argues, save the American economy.
Citing the Dallas Federal Reserve, Knowles quotes Goldman Sachs research projecting an AI-driven boost to American productivity of between 0.3 and 3.0 percentage points annually over the next decade, with a median estimate of 1.5 percentage points. He points to his own experience using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, arguing they’re significantly more efficient for synthesis and research than traditional search engines.
But he reserves particular scorn for AI doomsayers, singling out Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder has warned that AI “crossed dangerous thresholds in biology, cybersecurity, white-collar work, and human relationships,” and has suggested that unchecked AI will lead society to turn against the technology entirely.
Knowles argues Gates has a track record of being wrong on big calls — from climate accords to Covid vaccines — and suggests that tech leaders may have ulterior motives for pushing heavy regulation.
“We should acknowledge that a bunch of people in the AI space want the government to step in and heavily regulate AI so they can capture the market,” he writes.
Data Centers: The New Political Punching Bag
The column warns that fear-driven politics is already producing concrete economic damage, most notably in the rising “hatred for data centers.” Knowles describes data centers as “simply places that process an enormous amount of data,” but says politicians are cracking down on them to appease frightened constituents.
“You end up in politics with this bizarre increase in hatred for data centers,” he writes. “Because people are afraid of AI, they are afraid of the data centers, and because politicians are afraid of the people, they respond by cracking down on the data centers.”
Not All Tech Is Created Equal
The column’s central thesis is that social media’s promises were a lie — more friendship delivered more antipathy, more information delivered more misinformation, more connection delivered more addiction. AI, by contrast, offers genuine productivity gains.
Knowles acknowledges that jobs will change and some will be lost, but disputes the doomsday scenario of mass unemployment, arguing that history shows new technologies create as many jobs as they destroy.
His closing warning is stark: If America hamstrings its AI industry, China won’t stop. “They are not stopping for a moment,” he writes.
The column is likely to reignite debate among policymakers over how to regulate emerging technologies — a fight that shows no signs of cooling down.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-americas-war-on-technology-is-about-to-backfire