Adjunct Faculty / Sr Policy Director
Casey Mock is a nationally recognized voice on technology, democracy and the future of civic life, known for connecting big-picture research with practical insights for policymakers and communities. He serves as Senior Policy Advisor to social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and the national movement behind The Anxious Generation, focusing on how digital technologies shape youth well-being and democratic trust. He teaches courses in technology policy and the interplay between politics and innovation in Duke’s Science and Society program and writes Tomorrow’s Mess, a newsletter on how emerging technology is remaking politics, culture and governance. Over his career, Casey has served both Democratic and Republican governors, led the Vermont Economic Progress Council, advised Minnesota’s governor on budget and policy and worked on state and local public policy at Amazon.
Area of Expertise: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
Projects: The Anxious Generation
Spring 2026 Course: Politics and Regulation of AI — SCISOC 690
The challenges of regulating artificial intelligence do not just reflect the ways in which the technology itself is novel and fast-moving, but also are derived from longstanding political battles in areas of policy that may be implicated or informed by AI. For instance, freedom of speech jurisprudence shapes regulation of deepfakes and design-centric regulation, while proposals for liability for AI developers are shaped by the specter of gun manufacturer liability, and international open-source AI debates are informed by both great power competition and the US experience with 3D printed weapon blueprints. In this course, students will not only learn to understand how contemporary politics both limit regulatory possibilities for AI, but also how ostensibly unrelated political battles may shape AI policy in the years ahead. The course will also cover how the unique attributes of AI technology present novel challenges for long-established regulatory and legal regimes.