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RAND played a pivotal role in emerging technologies throughout the 20th century, from satellites and computers to information-sharing systems, packet switching, and artificial intelligence. RAND now explores the policy implications of emerging technologies across a broad scope of areas such as patient outcomes and health care quality; energy and environmental standards; privacy; military weapon systems; and training teachers and students in the 21st century.

  • Soldiers look at a portable lifting system by Stertil-Koni at the Marine West Military Expo at Camp Pendleton, California, February 1, 2012, photo by Mike Blake/Reuters

    Commentary

    DIUx: Capturing Technological Innovation

    Nov 23, 2016

    The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) aims to find new sources of advanced technology to give America an edge over potential foes. DIUx is evidence of another form of innovation: organizing in new ways to capture new ideas.

  • Police desk with crime case records containing a mobile phone, photos, and keys, photo by Extreme-Photographer/Getty Images

    Report

    Preparing the U.S. Legal System for Emerging Technologies

    Jan 10, 2017

    Personal technology gathers data that can be useful in criminal justice proceedings. But this can also pose challenges for protecting individual rights. Identifying future conflicts ahead of time can help.

Explore Emerging Technologies

  • A man being interviewed by police in dark interrogation room

    Commentary

    What Data Is the Government Keeping About You?

    Governments are amassing a wealth of data on citizens, a trend that will continue as technology advances. But with no reliable way to ensure that the data is accurate, risks abound. In the criminal justice system, for example, poor quality data could affect individual freedoms and employability.

    Mar 1, 2017

  • Cyber gavel illustration

    Commentary

    Does the Court System Know as Much About ESI as Your Teenager? It Should.

    Electronically stored information (ESI) from smart appliances, fitness trackers, and other devices is making its way into the U.S. court system. Judges and lawyers need to better understand this evidence so they can challenge it or rule on its admissibility in court.

    Feb 21, 2017

  • A teacher pointing to a student for talking in class

    Commentary

    Body Cameras on Teachers Are Not the Answer to Classroom Management

    Teachers in two England schools are participating in a pilot program of wearing cameras to stop pupil disruption. How they use the cameras could be counter-productive and may actually escalate situations in the classroom. Other methods to control challenging pupils will likely work better.

    Feb 13, 2017

  • News Release

    News Release

    Rise of Technology in Criminal Proceedings Poses Risk to Protecting Individuals' Rights

    Personal devices like fitness trackers and smartphones are likely to be used increasingly in criminal investigations. Such technology offers new tools to law enforcement, but raises unique issues regarding constitutional rights such as self-incrimination.

    Jan 10, 2017

  • The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, taken from an airplane in January 2008

    Commentary

    Approaching Future Offsets

    Grand strategy, acquisitions, and technological considerations may shape the debate about the future of the U.S. military for some time to come. Only where all three elements align are future offsets likely to succeed.

    Dec 21, 2016

  • A Zipline delivery drone releases its payload during a demonstration near San Francisco, California, May 5, 2016

    Report

    What's the Buzz on Delivery Drones?

    Millions of commercial drones may be in the air by 2020. This could make near-instant airborne delivery a reality. But what are the hidden costs?

    Dec 20, 2016

  • The blast furnaces at the now-closed Bethlehem Steel mill remain standing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, April 22, 2016

    Commentary

    America's Shifting Labor Market in a Technology-Driven World

    Making America competitive in a transitioning market will require examining future labor market requirements. Workforce development programs that target building labor capacity for a new economy will be essential.

    Nov 25, 2016

  • Antoine van Agtmael, Lawrence Ingrassia, and Randal Quarles at RAND's Politics Aside event in Santa Monica, November 12, 2016

    Blog

    Who Wins Globalization?

    While more needs to be done for those who once worked in industries such as furniture manufacturing, where essentially all activity has moved to lower-cost nations, the U.S. is starting to see an increase in manufacturing activity because of new types of technological advances.

    Nov 14, 2016

  • Nidhi Kalra and Timothy Bonds at RAND's Politics Aside event in Santa Monica, November 12, 2016

    Q&A

    Autonomous Vehicles: Imagining the Day-to-Day of the Future

    At RAND's 2016 Politics Aside event, Nidhi Kalra and Timothy Bonds discuss what daily life might be like once autonomous vehicles populate the roads.

    Nov 14, 2016

  • Susan Dentzer, Eric Topol, and Mark Friedberg at RAND's Politics Aside event in Santa Monica, November 12, 2016

    Blog

    The Price of Personalized Health Care

    Medical care in the United States is entering an era where technology can give patients more control over their care and let them take control of their health data.

    Nov 13, 2016

  • The autonomous ship "Sea Hunter" is shown docked in Portland, Oregon before its christening ceremony April 7, 2016

    Commentary

    Killer Robots: Moral Concerns vs. Military Advantages

    The U.S. military should balance Americans' ethical concerns over computers making life and death decisions with the need to maintain an edge in the face of rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning across the globe.

    Nov 4, 2016

  • Soldiers conduct cyberspace operations during a training rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, January 24, 2016

    Commentary

    The Pentagon's New Chief Innovation Officer Should Tread Lightly

    The innovation efforts taking place in the Department of Defense are exciting and have much potential. But installing a chief innovation officer with centralized authority who may become just another bureaucratic player among many could spoil those efforts.

    Nov 3, 2016

  • A fleet of Uber's Ford Fusion self-driving cars are shown during a demonstration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 13, 2016

    Commentary

    Driving to Safety: Autonomous Vehicle Questions, Answered

    A recent RAND report found that test-driving autonomous vehicles is not a feasible way to determine when they will be safe enough for consumer use. This resulted in a lot of questions.

    Oct 25, 2016

  • A U.S. Air Force B-52 carries the X-51 Hypersonic Vehicle for a launch test from Edwards AFB, California, May 1, 2013

    Commentary

    The Future of Hypersonic Weapons

    Russia and China appear to be developing hypersonic weapons. But the United States should make decisions about whether to develop its own hypersonic weapons in a vacuum.

    Oct 20, 2016

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Accelerating the Internet of Things in the UK: Linking policy with practice

    Using insights from Internet of Things (IoT) implementations and informed users of technology, RAND Europe carried out a study to support a process for policy feedback that will inform the development and adoption of the IoT in the UK.

    Oct 4, 2016

  • Report

    Report

    Accelerating the Internet of Things in the UK: Using policy to support practice

    Using insights from businesses and informed users of technology, RAND Europe carried out a study to support a process for policy feedback that will inform the development and adoption of the Internet of Things in the UK.

    Oct 4, 2016

  • Dmitri Dolgov, principal engineer on the software team of Google's Self-Driving Car project, speaks during a presentation in Mountain View, California, September 29, 2015

    Commentary

    The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive

    Autonomous vehicles require exquisite software. To make this software secure, industry and government should consider educational standards and licensure requirements for the engineers who create it.

    Sep 27, 2016

  • A police officer working on a computer in a patrol car

    Report

    Future Communications Technologies Could Strengthen Law Enforcement

    A workshop with 41 experts on both law enforcement operations and broadband technologies identified needs for technology initiatives and how law enforcement could best use future capabilities while mitigating potential risks.

    Sep 26, 2016

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