Archbridge Institute

10/16/2026

A new edition of Progress Pulse—out today—explores how Americans view AI and its impact on meaning. Here are three key findings from the survey:

🤖 Americans are evenly divided on the nature of AI: 48% think it will remain a powerful tool under human control, and 52% expect it to develop autonomous capabilities.

🥰 People are slightly more pessimistic about AI and meaning: 44% believe AI will support, and 56% believe it will undermine meaning.

💡 These two beliefs are closely related: People who expect AI to remain a tool under human control tend to see it as an aid to meaning, while those who expect it to surpass human intelligence and act on its own tend to see it as a threat.

Check out more results in our report: https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/progress-pulse-9-americans-see-autonomous-ai-as-a-threat-to-meaning/

🌎 Progress Pulse is a survey series from the Human Flourishing Lab and The Harris Poll exploring Americans' views on progress, human advancement, emerging technologies, and the future.

In this edition of Progress Pulse, we explore some of the psychological implications of artificial intelligence. We are specifically interested in whether Americans believe AI will support or undermine people's ability to live meaningful lives, and if this belief is related to how they view AI: name...

10/14/2026

From Clay Routledge: "What nostalgic memories do is they help keep in mind what we want to prioritize. Nostalgia might involve looking backwards, but it’s really about planning forward."

Many Gen Z'ers are longing for the styles and culture of eras from before they were born, but nostalgia is more than the revival of ‘90s fashion — some researchers say it could inspire a new age of social connection.

10/13/2026

AMERICAN ORIGINAL: Charles Kettering: Nearsighted Visionary and Prolific Inventor by Gary Hoover - https://profectusmag.com/american-original-charles-kettering/

Discover how Charles "Boss" Kettering transformed the automotive industry with groundbreaking inventions, entrepreneurial vision, and a lifelong commitment to innovation.

10/12/2026

"If licensure were really about protecting consumers, every jurisdiction would license certain high-risk services and low-risk services would be universally unlicensed. But that’s not the case. The new data published by the Fraser Institute identify 26 jobs that are licensed in only one province."

Excellent piece by The Fraser Institute's Matthew Mitchell in The Globe and Mail. Read it here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-a-licence-to-be-a-barber-ridiculous-red-tape-holds-canada-back/

The index he cites was produced by Edward Timmons, Tingting Zhang, and Noah Trudeau. They analyzed licensing requirements for 158 occupations across all 10 Canadian provinces.

📎 Provincial Occupational Licensing Index: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/provincial-occupational-licensing-index-2026

Unnecessary licensure requirements fail to protect consumers from bad providers, while also making it more difficult for Canadians to make a living

10/12/2026

"Another constant throughout much of history, alongside extreme poverty and atrocious working conditions, has been a lack of freedom"

Read an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past."

10/12/2026

"Many Gen Z’ers are longing for the styles and culture of eras from before they were born, but nostalgia is more than the revival of ’90s fashion — some researchers say it could inspire a new age of social connection."

Learn about research by Clay Routledge and the Human Flourishing Lab on nostalgia, new technology, and human flourishing in Deseret News.

Many Gen Z'ers are longing for the styles and culture of eras from before they were born, but nostalgia is more than the revival of ‘90s fashion — some researchers say it could inspire a new age of social connection.

10/09/2026

"A technology this powerful will be built by someone, and every restriction on building it here has the same result: Not less AI, but AI built elsewhere, under other laws and values."

Pausing U.S. AI development will not eliminate risks; it simply surrenders global technological leadership and governance to China.

10/08/2026

Whether you believe AI is the most dangerous technology in history or the most beneficial, both sides should agree that the U.S. cannot surrender the future to China.

Check out the latest from regulatory policy fellow Vitor Melo in Washington Examiner.

Pausing U.S. AI development will not eliminate risks; it simply surrenders global technological leadership and governance to China.

10/08/2026

Clay Routledge in CNN: "The nostalgia they’re feeling has this almost future-orientated feel to it, where it’s like we’re mining the past for ideas of ways of doing things, that would be new and fresh for us in this era of overwhelming technological overload."

It was time when IRL was the only life. Now a new exhibition at London’s Tate Britain explores the gritty, DIY creative spirit of the ’90s.

10/07/2026

NEW: The Harsh Reality of the Past by Chelsea Follett - https://profectusmag.com/the-harsh-reality-of-preindustrial-life/

We are honored to publish this excerpt from Chelsea Follett's new book, "The Grim Old Days," which draws on a wide range of historical sources and modern research to show the painstaking reality of preindustrial life. Through this picture, the book also illuminates the progress and prosperity that we enjoy today.

HumanProgress.org x The Cato Institute