Brookings Institution

The internet revolution was accompanied by a digital divide. Now, the artificial intelligence revolution threatens a token divide. Access to the internet opened new possibilities for everyone. The eighth grader doing her homework and the local business serving its customers both benefited. Broadband connections gave them information. Now, AI offers them intelligence. Tokens are the unit through which intelligence is organized, measured, and sold. Access to tokens governs access to intelligence.

The United States is a global technology leader, yet millions of Americans lack the internet access, devices, or skills to benefit from its technological capabilities or participate fully in the digital economy. Recognizing this divide in 2021, Congress passed the largest federal investment in broadband in U.S.

Until the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal government alone was responsible for paying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Under OBBBA, starting in October 2027, states potentially will be required to pay a share of SNAP benefits, with the required share determined solely by the state’s “payment error rate” for the relevant fiscal year. After the first year, a state’s payment error rate from three years prior will determine the state’s cost shift, meaning that a state’s FY2026 payment error rate will be the basis for the FY2029 cost-shift amount.

Global artificial intelligence spending is forecasted to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, according to one estimate, marking a 44% increase year-over-year. In 2027, spending is expected to reach $3.3 trillion, reflecting another 32% increase year-over-year.

Approximately 6 percent of elderly adults have insufficient resources to meet their basic needs. While this rate is similar to other age groups, elderly poverty is particularly troubling because their financial lives are often intertwined with their health, and deterioration in either can create significant burdens for the social safety net and younger generations. This policy brief will outline the problem of poverty among older adults and why action is needed.

In July 2025, the Trump administration released its blueprint for artificial intelligence—America’s AI Action Plan—with a focus on deregulation and infrastructure investment to achieve “global AI dominance.” The plan represents a notable shift from previous, more cautious AI policies of the Biden era and emphasizes removing regulatory barriers and “ideological” bias in AI.

American criminal justice agencies are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence tools, shaping how we are surveilled, arrested, charged, and sentenced. These tools promise to improve safety, accountability, and fairness. Yet most tools have never been independently validated, and the harms they can cause are not hypothetical.

Three consecutive administrations have made adoption of artificial intelligence across the U.S. federal government a priority.