Every transformative technology triggers the same familiar reaction: fear, alarm, and demands for control. From video games to social media — not to mention the printing press — new and disruptive forms of expression are often framed as threats before we even fully understand them.
Today, AI sits squarely in the hot seat. Lawmakers and cultural commentators alike argue this moment is different — that the scale, speed, and influence of modern networks justify new forms of oversight and restriction.
But history suggests a recurring pattern: efforts to curb perceived harms often expand beyond their original aims, reshaping the boundaries of speech and expression in profound and lasting ways. As we confront this latest wave of tech debates, the question is not whether change is coming — it’s here. The question is which lessons we should learn from the past.
On March 24, 2026, at an intimate venue in Manhattan, we brought together some of the voices examining these recurring cycles. Nico Perrino, FIRE’s executive vice president and host of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, places today’s debates in the longer civil-libertarian tradition of resisting censorship. Corbin Barthold, internet policy counsel at TechFreedom and host of the Tech Policy Podcast, brings a litigator’s skepticism to the latest proposals to regulate online platforms as common carriers. Christopher J. Ferguson, professor of psychology at Stetson University and co-author of Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong, has spent years studying the evidence behind recurring fears about violent media and new technologies. And guiding the discussion is Kmele Foster, co-host of the Fifth Column Podcast and editor-at-large at Tangle News, whose work is defined by intellectual curiosity and a rigorous commitment to open inquiry.
Nico Perrino (X), FIRE’s executive vice president and host of FIRE’s So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Corbin Barthold (X), internet policy counsel at TechFreedom and host of the Tech Policy Podcast
Christopher J. Ferguson (X), professor of psychology at Stetson University, author of How Madness Shaped History, and a licensed clinical psychologist
Kmele Foster (X), editor-at-large at Tangle News, and partner at Big Think
