Dean Phillips on His Bid to Disrupt Biden—and Trump
The Minnesota congressman discusses his long-shot challenge to Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination and his approach to tech policy.
Dean Phillips thinks too much government tech policy dwells on the negative.
In an interview, the Minnesota congressman—who is mounting a long-shot bid to challenge Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination—said regulations need to prevent “nefarious use” of artificial intelligence, but he’s equally interested in encouraging ways to use AI to improve healthcare outcomes and other positive applications. Ditto for crypto, which he believes can help reduce costs for low-income Americans.
Some of Phillips’ views on tech are a work in progress. He doesn’t favor a U.S. ban on the Chinese-owned app TikTok. But as president he also says he would reset the U.S.-China relationship around reciprocity: If apps such as Instagram and Facebook aren’t allowed in China, Chinese apps shouldn’t be allowed here, Phillips said. Since neither Instagram nor Facebook are allowed in China, that suggests a TikTok ban could be justified based on Phillips’ views on reciprocity.