Think tank · Policy · Washington, DC
The Center for Data Innovation (CDI) is a Washington, DC–based think-tank that works within the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) to develop and advocate “pro-innovation” public policies for data-driven technologies, with a substantial current emphasis on artificial intelligence policy and governance. CDI positions itself as focused on the intersection of data, technology, and public policy, aiming to create practical conditions under which data-driven innovation can flourish in both the public and private sectors.
It maintains staff internationally (including Washington, London, and Brussels) and produces research, reports, and policy statements that engage U.S. and global policy debates around AI development and deployment, including issues like AI governance, accountability, privacy/security, workforce implications, copyright and data rules, and infrastructure-related topics such as data centers and energy impacts. A signature CDI program line is the AI Policy Network / “Ground Truth for AI Policy,” which is framed as an educational forum for AI policy professionals to stay grounded in technical realities and to stress-test policy assumptions against how AI systems actually work. CDI also publishes policy trackers (notably an AI legislation tracker for the United States) intended to help readers follow legislative activity. Strategically, CDI’s work sits at the interface between (1) the rapid evolution of AI capabilities and deployment in the economy and (2) policy efforts that are seeking workable governance frameworks. Recent CDI releases continue to stress regulatory approaches that (in their view) avoid overly prescriptive rules that could constrain innovation, while still addressing concrete harms and implementation details (e.g., cybersecurity risk management and the mechanics of proposed federal AI frameworks).
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Data centers have become a target for critics who portray them as a drain on local resources rather than an investment to improve their communities. Many of the concerns driving…
10 Bits: The Data News HotlistThis week’s roundup of data news highlights from August 29, 2026, to September 4, 2026, features an AI-powered tool helping coordinate earthquake relief efforts and a new system forecasting threats…
Mapping Migratory PathwaysResearchers at the University of Utah have used satellite-tracking data to map migration routes of booted and steppe eagles along a major migration corridor between East Asia and Africa. The…
Training Physical AIU.S.-based robotics company Figure AI has announced a platform called Index that collects videos to train humanoid robots to perform a range of tasks. The dataset contains millions of user-submitted…
5 Q’s Gavin Aydelotte, Co-founder of SnowCrash LabsThe Center for Data Innovation recently spoke with Gavin Aydelotte, co-founder of SnowCrash Labs, a San Francisco-based company developing an AI-model evaluation and routing platform. Aydelotte explained how SnowCrash Labs…
America Is Building AI Guardrails, But Where Is the Road Forward?Much of the current AI debate focuses on what could go wrong. Dire headlines warn AI might displace workers, threaten privacy, enable cyberattacks, or go rogue. These risks deserve serious…
AI’s Frontier Is Moving. Its Legal Definition Should TooPolicymakers are increasingly concerned about “frontier models,” a term meant to identify a small group of highly-capable general-purpose models that could pose unusually serious risks, such as mass casualties or…
10 Bits: The Data News HotlistThis week’s roundup of data news highlights from August 22, 2026, to August 28, 2026, features an interactive system tracking Arctic permafrost thaw and a new program helping workers build…
5 Q’s with Mathieu Carlier, Founder of EverimpactThe Center for Data Innovation recently spoke with Mathieu Carlier, founder of Everimpact, a France-based company developing an AI-driven platform that measures greenhouse gas emissions in real-time. Carlier explained how…
Visualizing Solar EnergyThe Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany has created a visual mapping X-ray sources across roughly half the Milky Way using data from the eROSITA’s sky survey. The…
Tracking English ProficiencyThe California Department of Education has released a dataset tracking how many English learners at each school have met the criteria to become proficient in English. The data includes school-level…
10 Bits: The Data News HotlistThis week’s roundup of data news highlights from August 15, 2026, to August 21, 2026, features AI-powered systems that could help airlines reduce climate-warming contrails and a system that uses…
CDI publishes commentary arguing that legal definitions of frontier AI should be updated as capabilities evolve, and it discusses the policy implications of evolving thresholds and associated governance design considerations.
The Great American AI Act Seeks Good Governance, but Must Get the Details RightCDI publishes a statement reacting to release of a discussion draft of the Great American AI Act, praising aspects of the bill’s governance architecture while arguing that sponsors should strengthen and improve implementation details.
New Executive Order Takes Constructive Approach to AI Cybersecurity RisksCDI issues a statement (from its associate director for AI policy) characterizing a new executive order as taking a constructive approach to AI-related cybersecurity risks while rejecting a perceived false tradeoff between AI innovation and security.
AI Data Centers Aren’t the Problem—Outdated Policy Frameworks Are, New Report FindsCDI releases a press statement summarizing a report that argues policy responses misdiagnose the main issues with AI data centers and instead should modernize how impacts on energy systems and local resources are measured, priced, and managed.
White House Gives Congress the Right Blueprint for AI PolicyCDI publishes a statement reacting to the White House release of a national policy framework for artificial intelligence, framing it as a pro-innovation approach that targets concerns without “smothering” innovation and emphasizing preemption to avoid fragmented state approaches.