Bruce Schneier

Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier liken rapid AI development to the social media boom of the past two decades.

"Governments must grapple with artificial intelligence (AI) and not simply consign its development and application to corporate entities," argue Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders…

Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier suggest that, though the technology undoubtedly has its risks, AI presents opportunities "to make democracy better, stronger, and more…

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders look to examples from around the globe to anticipate how the 2026 midterm elections might be shaped by AI.

Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders argue that the future of AI's impacts on democratic processes is unwritten, and whether the technology is used to liberate or to…

Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders offer an optimistic outlook: AI-generated harms are neither natural nor inevitable, and beneficial uses of the technology are possible.

Bruce Schneier and coauthor Gadi Evron discuss AI summarization optimization (AISO), the process by which meeting attendees adapt their speech to make it more rife for uptake by…

Bruce Schneier and coauthor Barath Raghavan argue that the OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop poses problems for agentic AI.

AI's influence on the 2026 electoral cycle will be greater than what many feared leading to 2024, warn Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders. In a new piece for The American Prospect,…

Bruce Schneier and coauthors caution that cyber attackers are now using AI agents to automate some parts of the hacking process, meaning that future attacks may supersede our…

A year out from the 2026 midterm elections, Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier expect that AI use will differ along party lines, with Republicans "poised to exploit the technology"…

Affiliate Bruce Schneier notes how the average person's personal threat model has shifted from concerns about corporate overreach to ones about government surveillance.

Affiliate Bruce Schneier and coauthor Davi Ottenheimer argue that the emergence of AI agents in the (near) Web 3.0 future necessitates data integrity, in the sense that users…

Alongside two coauthors, Bruce Schneier argues that the US government and semiconductor firms alike must enforce (and comply with the enforcement of) regulations.

Bruce Schneier and coauthors argue that even attempted cyberattacks on election infrastructure can erode public trust in elections' integrity across party lines.

Bruce Schneier demonstrates the ever-growing importance of data integrity, proposing a novel research program on integrous system design.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders speak to fears about AI replacing humans' jobs, opining that this will only happen when it outperforms us in terms of speed, scale, scope, and/or…

Affiliate Bruce Schneier testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform concerning DOGE's access to and use of Americans' data, reminding congresspersons…

"Despite unprecedented investments in mobilizing voters, overall trust in electoral health, democratic institutions, and voter satisfaction has significantly declined." Affiliate…

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders offer some optimistic reflections on the rise of AI-written legislation, though they concede that such AI use should be disclosed.

Should the NSA be concerned about security flaws in Signal?

Bruce Schneier and Davi Ottenheimer argue that the emergence of artifical intelligence in the age of Web 3.0 requires a multi-layered approach to digital security with a…

Bruce Schneier observes that the UK's demands that Apple weaken its security worldwide will exacerbate threats to users.

"The U.S. government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history—not through a sophisticated cyberattack or an act of foreign espionage, but…

"The idea of replacing dedicated and principled civil servants with AI agents, however, is new—and complicated."

Bruce Schneier and Davi Ottenheimer argue that “the U.S. government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history.”

Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders warn of the risks posed by DOGE’s extreme approach to AI implementation.

Bruce Schneier and coauthor Barath Raghavan argue that all talking AIs and robots should use ring modulators to make themselves distinguishable from human speech.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders detail the different ways that evolving AI technologies will be used in drafting legislation.

We've gotten the hang of correcting and preventing human actors' mistakes, but how ought we to prepare for new kinds of mistakes wrought by AI, ask Bruce Schneier and Nathan…

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders join Jennifer Smith to discuss ways to wield AI toward pro-democratic ends.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders suggest that AI's history is not its destiny.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders observe that AI's role in 2024 elections wasn't as disastrous as some had feared.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders offer a potentially optimistic outlook on AI and politics.

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders warn that AI will complicate the SEC's financially cutting in whistleblowers.

Bruce Schneier sat down with the Harvard Gazette to discuss just how common online scams are.

We could soon see the fallout from a hands-off approach to AI regulation.

The Israeli attack on Hezbollah sheds light on widespread vulnerabilities.

Bruce Schneier reflects on a series of 2022-23 HKS workshops, which he writes "underscore[d] the importance of imagining discontinuous political innovations that might be suited…

HKS's Behind the Book series covers Bruce Schneier's latest work.

Bruce Schneier and Tarah Wheeler critique the lack of power granted to the White House's Cyber Safety Review Board.

Bruce Schneier co-writes that the increased prominance of data and algorithms have shifted power and culture from nations to corporations. 

Bruce Schneier writes about data and technology in human society.

Bruce Schneier speaks on the impact of AI on cybersecurity, democracy, and privacy

Judith Donath and Bruce Schneier warn that, without intervention, the continued expansion of generative AI will end the Web's utility as a public resource.

Bruce Schneier writes about a recent potential cybersecurity catastrophe.

Bruce Schneier memorializes Ross Anderson. "Ross was a pragmatic visionary. His mastery of both the technologies and the underlying policy issues showed a deep command of…

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier argue that the unregulated evolution of social media over the past few decades provides lessons for the AI revolution.

Nathan Sanders, Bruce Schneier, and Norman Eisen advocate for a public AI to counterbalance private AI and promote tech that benefits all people, not just corporate interests.

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier argue that big tech uses the conception of AI as a new "frontier" to excuse exploitation and a lack of oversight or accountability.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier and Josephine Wolff describe the difficulties of forming a government back cybersecurity insurance backstop.

Bruce Schneier writes about the CFPB's proposed data rules and its benefits.

Bruce Schneier co-authors a piece in The Atlantic discussing human interactions and the impacts of AI on them.

Bruce Schneier explains the need for a rethinking of trust and governance to prepare for the future of AI.

Bruce Schneier writes about the potential for AI to remove bottlenecks.

BKC Faculty Director Jonathan Zittrain and BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier contribute to the Carr Center's Making a Movement: The History and Future of Human Rights, a collection of…

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier argues that AI is on track to reduce spying's current limiting factor: the need for human labor.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier discusses the complicated relationship between trust and AI and the need for building trustworthy AI.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier explores beyond AI generated disinformation to detail other novel ways in which AI might alter how democracy functions.

BKC Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders explore the patchwork of organizations charged with regulating AI usage in political campaign ads.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier argues that AI disinformation is a threat to democratic processes.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier and Davi Ottenheimer discuss the need for regulation to enhance safety as robots become more advanced. 

BKC Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders opine on the great power that AI will have once it is capable of using real-world tools and urge that companies and regulators…

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier reflects on his workshop that brought together a wide variety of people to discuss the reimagination of democracy for the twenty-first century.

BKC Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders propose six milestones that will bring in a new era of AI driven democratic politics.

BKC Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders write about the potential risks and biases of AI.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier writes about the use of AI systems that is harming the most vulnerable society. 

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier and Barath Raghavan argue that the American people should receive compensation for their data, the very data that AI companies rely on to innovate.

BKC Affiliates Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders write about the need for AI investment to be taken out of the hands of private companies.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier writes about the open-source future of generative AI.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier discusses the practical considerations of Montana's TikTok ban.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier delivers a keynote speech during the RSA Conference in San Francisco on April 25, 2023 about the risks and promise of AI for democracy.

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier write about the trustworthiness of AI technologies and their corporate owners.

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier write about how AI will change the nature of campaigning.

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier write about AI's potential to advance the public good by helping democracy.

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier predicts a future wave of email scams that will take advantage of generative AI.

BKC Affiliates Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier write about the potential influence of ChatGPT and generative AI on lobbying.

"Democracy is fundamentally a human way of organizing ourselves, and where an AI, whether it's a ChatGPT that is writing human text or another AI that is figuring out human…

"So while it’s impossible to predict what a future filled with A.I. lobbyists will look like, it will probably make the already influential and powerful even more so." BKC…

“We’re already used to tech companies having this enormous amount of access to our personal life. By extension, the U.S. government has that access, and so how do we feel about…

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier writes about decarbonizing crypto and the opportunity to curb its massive environmental impact. "The good news is that cryptocurrencies don’t have…

BKC Fellow Bruce Schneier writes about the Uber hack. "In all of these cases, the victimized organizations could have very likely protected our data better, but the reality is…

Bruce Schneier discusses how end-to-end encryption could look for Twitter DMs. Twitter's relatively smaller size — its global user base is a fraction of Facebook, Instagram and…

Cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier explains that paper vaccine cards strike a good balance between ease and security.

Bruce Schneier is interviewed about the future of AI hacking.

In a post for Brookings, Bruce Schneier and colleague argue that cybersecurity vulnerabilities are a major part of warfare.

Bruce Schneier and colleague Henry Farrell published a new report via the Johns Hopkins Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Bruce Schneier and colleague argue AI software can easily pass for real public comments

A profile of Bruce Schneier in IEEE Spectrum

Bruce Schneier says that AIs will grant our wishes, and then hack them, exploiting our social, political, and economic systems

Paper from Bruce Schneier explores the implications of AI hackers

Bruce Schneier co-authors op ed on Bitcoin vulnerabilities

Bruce Schneier says the market economy played a significant role in the SolarWinds attack.

Bruce Schneier says the security threat to worry about is the one facing the public, not the president

Bruce Schneier offers cybersecurity advice for responding to the SolarWinds attack.

In The Guardian, Bruce Schneier says the US must rethink its cybersecurity protocols

Persuasion is essential to society and democracy, but we need new rules governing how companies can harness it, argue Bruce Schneier and colleague

Trump and fellow Republicans are trying to dismantle beliefs in democracy, argue Bruce Schneier and Henry Farrell

Bruce Schneier shares skepticism of contact tracing apps

Bruce Schneier explains the recent Twitter hack

VentureBeat features research from BKC community members

Studying or testing the security of any operational system potentially runs afoul of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Bruce Schneier shares his prediction for the future with Quartz

Bruce Schneier talks end-to-end encryption with CNN

Bruce Schneier on contact tracing apps:  “The smartphone is the most invasive surveillance device our species has ever invented. I don’t see what’s happening now [during…

Bruce Schneier shares insight into password security

Bruce Schneier spoke to The Hill about the use of digital contact tracing.

Bruce Schneier shares his opinion on contact tracing apps

Without enough human contact tracers to identify infected people, the US is barreling toward a digital solution, and possible disaster.

Adversarial machine-learning attacks and defenses have political dimensions

The BKC fellow discusses cryptography with The Politic

More than 150 academics, scholars and tenured faculty from colleges across the country have signed an open letter that names and shames colleges for using facial recognition…

Why aren’t we better prepared?

The whole point of modern surveillance is to treat people differently, and facial recognition technologies are only a small part of that.

The deadly December shooting of three U.S. sailors at a Navy installation could reignite a long-simmering fight between the federal government and tech companies over data privacy…

The network has plenty of other security weaknesses, including ones the U.S. doesn’t want to fix since they help its own surveillance efforts.

They’ll be controlled by foreign actors, domestic political groups, even the candidates themselves, says BKC fellow Bruce Schneier.

We will never get the policy right if policymakers get the technology wrong, Bruce Schneier says.

When it comes to 5G technology, we have to build a trustworthy system out of untrustworthy parts

China is more likely to try to get data from the US communications infrastructure, says Bruce Schneier

You can’t eliminate all the personal data your phone collects and shares about you. But you can limit it.

As synthetic biology "programming" reaches the complexity of traditional computer programming, the risks of computer systems will transfer to biological systems.

Bruce Schneier comments on election security for NPR

The distinction between military and consumer products largely doesn't exist

With election meddling inevitable in 2020, the United States needs a powerful kill chain

Non-internet-connected election systems are actually connected to the internet

The Enterprisers Project highlights Bruce Schneier’s Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive

We’ll have to battle both the disease and the fake news, writes BKC’s Bruce Schneier

AI can flag people based on their clothing or behavior, identify people's emotions, and find people who are acting "unusual”

The belief that China’s surveillance gives it an advantage is misleading—and dangerous, argues Bruce Schneier

Henry Farrell and BKC’s Bruce Schneier write a Forum Response to reactions to their earlier essay

The controversy over telecommunications equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei is just the tip of a large cyber risk iceberg, Bruce Schneier warns.

As San Francisco halts city use of facial recognition technology, CIOs could see more regulatory actions against surveillance technology -- and more limits on their use of data.

Democracies rely on the free exchange of ideas and information, but that freedom can also be weaponized to erode democratic debate. How can democratic societies protect—and…

The world is ever more connected via the internet, from cars and power grids to home appliances and toys. That means ever more things are dangerously hackable.

The Kremlin has been focused on undermining trust in American democracy and elections, but Donald Trump and the Republicans have done it better than Russia ever could.

How surveillance hurts our democratic values

The same fake news techniques that benefit autocracies by making everyone unsure about political alternatives undermine democracies by making people question the common political…

Making Internet-connected devices more secure will require smarter regulations

A set of resources for public-interest technologists

Scaling up computer security arguments to the level of the state, so that the entire polity is treated as an information system with associated attack surfaces and threat models,…

All phones are vulnerable to hacking

If our devices, information, and institutions are to remain secure, smart government regulation is inevitable

Despite largely negative media coverage of the subject, it is a good thing that TSA is brainstorming ways to optimize security in airports