Tyler Cowen and Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu clashed over free speech limits, specifically around social media regulation.
Cowen pressed: If you support regulating social media, aren't you restricting free speech?
Acemoglu's stance: "I want to be a free speech absolutist while also regulating social media." He argues individuals should say whatever they want, but tech platforms shouldn't weaponize speech through algorithms that exploit human vulnerabilities.
Cowen countered with history: The printing press weaponized Marx and Lenin for decades—far worse outcomes than today's social media—yet we still believe in free press freedom.
Acemoglu's defense: Society adapted to books over time. Algorithms are different. They target individual weaknesses in real-time. If platforms stuck to chronological feeds (like old Myspace), he'd have no issue. But today's algorithms "fan the flames" of user vulnerabilities.
His proposal: Regulate how companies use speech in their algorithms, not what people can say.
The core tension: Where does free expression end and algorithmic manipulation begin?
Cowen pressed: If you support regulating social media, aren't you restricting free speech?
Acemoglu's stance: "I want to be a free speech absolutist while also regulating social media." He argues individuals should say whatever they want, but tech platforms shouldn't weaponize speech through algorithms that exploit human vulnerabilities.
Cowen countered with history: The printing press weaponized Marx and Lenin for decades—far worse outcomes than today's social media—yet we still believe in free press freedom.
Acemoglu's defense: Society adapted to books over time. Algorithms are different. They target individual weaknesses in real-time. If platforms stuck to chronological feeds (like old Myspace), he'd have no issue. But today's algorithms "fan the flames" of user vulnerabilities.
His proposal: Regulate how companies use speech in their algorithms, not what people can say.
The core tension: Where does free expression end and algorithmic manipulation begin?