Technology and constitutional scholar Jonathan Zittrain and Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School Ellen Goodman examine the intersection of the First Amendment and artificial intelligence, how constitutional values can help guide emerging technologies, and what the future of free expression looks like in the digital age. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This conversation was recorded on September 9, 2026, at the National Constitution Center as part of First Amendment Day, a new annual celebration hosted in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, inviting visitors of all ages to explore the five freedoms of the First Amendment through conversation, creativity, history, and hands-on experiences.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Charles Sahm. Research was provided by Sebastian Ramirez, Anna Salvatore, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Ellen P. Goodman is Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School, where she specializes in information policy law: AI governance, free speech, media policy, data ethics, and algorithmic cities. She is co-director and co-founder of the Rutgers Institute for Information Policy & Law and collaborates regularly with think tanks, government officials at all levels, and interdisciplinary researchers on tech policy. This work has led to grants from the Ford Foundation, Knight Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and others to advance transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of information technology.
Jonathan L. Zittrain is the George Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard Law School. He is also a professor of public policy at the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, a professor of computer science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, faculty director of the Harvard Law School Library, and co-founder and director of Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. His research interests include the ethics and governance of artificial intelligence; battles for control of digital property; the regulation of cryptography; new privacy frameworks for loyalty to users of online services; the roles of intermediaries within Internet architecture; and the useful and unobtrusive deployment of technology in education.
Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue. She oversees the creation of public-facing constitutional content and works to ensure the Center’s programs, scholarly engagement, and educational resources operate as a coordinated national strategy serving students, educators, families, and lifelong learners across the country.
Additional Resources
- The First Amendment, National Constitution Center
- Free Speech in a Changing World, National Constitution Center’s We the People podcast, July 30, 2026
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