Jessica Melugin is director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Her research focuses on technology issues including antitrust, online privacy, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, social media content and net neutrality regulation. Her writings have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, Bloomberg Law, National Review and others. She has been cited in The Washington Post, Politico, U.S. News and World Report and Variety. Ms. Melugin is a frequent cable news television and radio guest.
She is a 2022 and 2023 Innovators Network Foundation Antitrust and Competition Policy Fellow.
Ms. Melugin graduated magna cum laude from Claremont McKenna College, with a degree in government and art history. Her honors thesis explored the development of American antitrust law as it pertains to the Microsoft trial. She lives in Virginia’s horse country with her children.
Authored by Jessica Melugin
News
Ex Google CEO’s Call for UN Organization Focused on Artificial Intelligence Would Be a “Historic Mistake”
At a forum on Artificial Intelligence in Washington today, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt endorsed the idea of an international body like the United…
Biden executive order on artificial intelligence will be a problem: CEI analysis
President Biden is reportedly poised to sign an executive order aimed at monitoring artificial intelligence technology and moving toward new regulations for AI. CEI experts expressed…
FCC move to reinstate heavy-handed Net Neutrality regulations risks health of telecommunications infrastructure
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced her intention to re-instate so-called Net Neutrality rules that were repealed in 2018. The FCC issued the…
Blog
Justice Department ignores consumers, boosts Bing in Google antitrust trial
- By: Jessica Melugin
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case accusing Google of having and unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in search is in full swing in US District…
Lina Khan’s whole new level of economic bloodletting
- By: Jessica Melugin
The Biden administration in its Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy and, more pointedly, the Federal Trade Commission in many of…
When the Policy is This Bad, Politics Might Be the Only Explanation
- By: Jessica Melugin
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently proposed a tech agenda as his “Digital Bill of Rights” for the state’ blessedly short 60-day legislative session. While there…
Op-Eds/Articles
National Review
Biden Order on Artificial Intelligence Puts Too Much Faith in Regulators
- By: Jessica Melugin
President Biden’s executive order (EO) on artificial intelligence (AI) directs more than a dozen federal agencies to, among other things, “establish guidelines…
Fox News
We need to avoid a ‘ready, fire, aim!’ approach to AI regulation
- By: Jessica Melugin
The panic to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) came almost immediately after last fall’s release of ChatGPT popularized the technology with the public. Some industry insiders…
National Review
Keep the FTC’s Hands off Artificial Intelligence
- By: Jessica Melugin
The general panic over artificial intelligence and the Federal Trade Commission’s aim to insert itself into every corner of the U.S. economy recently dovetailed in …
Studies
M&As Are A-Okay
- By: Jessica Melugin
Fretting about “killer acquisitions” and “kill zones” is common among regulators in Washington these days, but entrepreneurs and investors at work in the tech industry…
Don’t Confuse the Platform with the Train
Executive Summary Should social media companies be regulated like common carriers? To answer that question, this paper describes the functions and origins of social media…
Preserving Section 230 Is Key to Maintaining the Free and Open Internet
- By: Jessica Melugin
Passed as part of the Telecommunications Decency Act of 1996, Section 230 was intended to clarify liability rules online and to encourage sites to create…
Citations
Washington Examiner
FTC hits Amazon with antitrust lawsuit accusing it of manipulating the online marketplace
- By: Jessica Melugin
Jessica Melugin is quoted in the Washington Examiner on Amazon’s Antitrust lawsuit: “Free markets require functioning markets,” Mr. Davis said. “This requires enforcement of our…
Fox News
Snapchat expands into AI with ‘Dreams’ tool: Tech frontiers ‘are messy places,’ expert warns
- By: Jessica Melugin
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited on Fox News about the AI Dream Tool: “We’ll see if people think this is super fun and great…
Fox Business
VIDEO: CEI’S Jessica Melugin Joins Fox Business to Discuss Twitter’s New CEO and the ‘unintended consequences’ of Children Using A.I.
- By: Jessica Melugin
Competitive Enterprise Institute Center for Technology & Innovation director Jessica Melugin discusses Twitter’s new CEO and the ‘unintended consequences’ of children using A.I.
Regulatory Comments
Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute
September 26, 2023 RE: Premerger Notification; Reporting and Waiting Period Requirements Docket ID No.: FTC-2023-0040-0001 On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully…
CEI Comments on FTC-DOJ Merger Guidelines
September 15, 2023 RE: FTC-DOJ Merger Guidelines Matter No.: P859910 The authors of this submission first want to thank the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and…
CEI Comments on Non-Compete Clause Rule
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit comments regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed ban of non-compete agreements in employment…