OpEd
John Bailey
The Intelligence of Things Is Here—Reflections ...

Google I/O 2025 underscored a pivotal shift toward the "Intelligence of Things," embedding advanced AI into everyday tools and devices, seamlessly integrating technology into daily life rather than creating isolated products. Google's vision emphasizes proactive, personalized AI, exemplified by Gemini 2.5’s deep research tools and immersive communication innovations like Beam and real-time multilingual translation in Google Meet. The event highlighted AI's transformative impact on education, notably through Project Astra's multimodal learning capabilities and LearnLM’s integration into Gemini, significantly enhancing pedagogical effectiveness. Central to this evolution is the critical role of agile public policy in facilitating safe innovation, ensuring AI technologies serve human needs by enhancing safety, productivity, and quality of life.

The Intelligence of Things Is Here—Reflections from Google I/O 2025
OpEd
John Bailey
Agents, Access, and Advantage: Lessons from ...

Meta was kind enough to extend an invitation for me to attend its inaugural LlamaCon—a one-day developer summit devoted to the Llama family of open-source large language models. It offered the chance to better understand the direction in which both the technology and its surrounding ecosystem are moving, and therefore merits a close read by anyone shaping AI strategy or policy.

Agents, Access, and Advantage: Lessons from Meta’s LlamaCon
Article
John Bailey
Honored to Be Included In Washingtonian ...

It’s an honor to be named among Washingtonian Magazine's Most Influential People, alongside so many exceptional leaders whom I deeply admire, learn from, and have the privilege to work with.

Honored to Be Included In Washingtonian Magazine's Most Influential People
OpEd
John Bailey
The AI Race Accelerates: Key Insights from the ...

AI is advancing faster than anyone expected — and the 2025 AI Index Report proves it. From AI models matching Nobel-level intellect to a 280x drop in computing costs, Stanford’s latest report maps the jaw-dropping acceleration of AI capabilities. The U.S. still leads in AI models and private investment, but China is closing the quality gap—and fast. Meanwhile, AI-driven labs are already making major scientific breakthroughs, like designing nanobodies to fight COVID-19, and outperforming doctors in diagnostic accuracy.

The AI Race Accelerates: Key Insights from the 2025 AI Index Report
OpEd
John Bailey
​​Generative AI: The Emerging Coworker ...

AI is transforming the workplace by enhancing collaboration, speeding up tasks, and expanding access to expertise. A Harvard-Wharton-P&G study found individuals using AI performed as well as human teams, and AI-assisted teams were nearly three times more effective. AI also helped less experienced employees contribute more and encouraged interdisciplinary thinking. Pennsylvania’s ChatGPT pilot showed similar benefits, with employees saving 95 minutes daily and improving workflows. A national survey by JFF found that 57% of workers already see AI reshaping their jobs, though few receive formal training. These findings suggest AI isn’t just a tool for efficiency—it’s a partner reshaping how teams work, learn, and innovate.

​​Generative AI: The Emerging Coworker Transforming Teams

Student-Centered Education Reforms + Time to Let Them Work = Progress. Need Proof? Look at Florida’s NAEP Scores

Student-Centered Education Reforms + Time to Let Them Work = Progress. Need Proof? Look at Florida’s NAEP Scores

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is education’s version of Gross Domestic Product: a national indicator of the overall education health of the country. By that line of thinking, it’s difficult to see anything but stagnation in the numbers. We’re in an educational recession.

The outlier was Florida, whose NAEP gains were so significant that it prompted Peggy Carr, the usually reserved associate commissioner of assessment at the National Center for Education Statistics, to say, “Something very good is happening in Florida, obviously.” She went on to say that no matter how researchers broke out the data — by race, family income, gender, disabilities — they found that Florida showed growth on the 2017 NAEP, whereas most other states remained flat or saw declines.

The Investing in Opportunity Act: Hidden in the New Tax Bill, a Program to Help Charter Schools Secure Funds to Expand in High-Needs Areas

The Investing in Opportunity Act: Hidden in the New Tax Bill, a Program to Help Charter Schools Secure Funds to Expand in High-Needs Areas

Tucked away in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a little-noticed program called the Investing in Opportunity Act, which could bring much-needed financial investments to some of the nation’s most distressed communities. While most attention has focused on the benefits for housing development and new businesses, the program could also spur needed investments in education, particularly charter school facilities and skills training programs.

Why 'Opportunity Zones' Could Solve Unemployment In Slow-Growth Areas

Why 'Opportunity Zones' Could Solve Unemployment In Slow-Growth Areas

For decades Americans have had the chance to invest in emerging markets all around the world. Now they have the chance to invest in America’s own emerging markets and finance the comeback story so many communities have been waiting to write.

The Other Challenge of Artificial Intelligence

The Other Challenge of Artificial Intelligence

By now, it is almost routine to see columns sounding the alarm about millions of existing jobs at risk of being automated. However, the real risk is that we do not have a system ready to equip people with the skills needed to fill millions of new and modified jobs that will result from the rise of AI.

Bush Institute: Five Questions With John Bailey

Bush Institute: Five Questions With John Bailey

John Bailey (EOP, DoC, DoEd) is a busy guy. As a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute he works on finding new ways to help “re-skill” individuals who have lost their jobs during times of economic disruption, whether because of normal business cycles, automation, or artificial intelligence. He is also a fellow at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative working on economic mobility and education issues. He also serves on a number of boards, including the Education Reform Advisory Council of the George W. Bush Institute. He also serves as a moderator for the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Network.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Brain Trust Draws People From Varied Backgrounds

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Brain Trust Draws People From Varied Backgrounds

In late 2015, upon the birth of their first child, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his spouse, pediatrician Priscilla Chan, announced that they would dedicate 99 percent of their Facebook holdings — at the time, an estimated $45 billion — to “improving this world.” Who are the key staff members working alongside Mr. Zuckerberg and Dr. Chan to spend tens of billions of dollars?

John Bailey: The CZI education fellow’s former gigs include director of educational technology at the Department of Education, special adviser to President George W. Bush, and start-up consultant. He also spent a year at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, managing $20 million in advocacy grants.

Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla Trekking

I had the opportunity to participate in several gorilla treks in Uganda and Rwanda. There are only two populations of mountain gorillas left in the world. The first lives in the Virunga volcanic mountains, with groups scattered in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The second lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We had the chance to visit the Nkuringo, Bwenge, and Agashya families.

Many GOP K-12 Policy Hands Would Turn Down a Job With Donald Trump

In Education Week:

It's the way Trump has discussed various groups of people, along with his non-existent education platform, that leads John Bailey, the vice president for policy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush), to swear off working for or providing counsel to Trump.

"I just don't believe he has an agenda," Bailey said. "It troubles me greatly how dismissive he is of many key groups, whether it's women, immigrants, or minorities."

Unleashing Entrepreneurial Energy to Transform Education

Unleashing Entrepreneurial Energy to Transform Education

This emerging generation of entrepreneurs is blurring the lines between purely social or business interests as demonstrated by the rise of Silicon Valley companies tackling societal challenges ranging from greentech to healthcare to education. These social entrepreneurs are often driven by a double bottom line of measuring success not just based on traditional business metrics but also social outcomes. Within this wave of social entrepreneurs are individuals launching ventures aimed at solving difficult challenges within our education system. They strive to address pain points and frustrations for teachers, improve the learning experience for students, offer parents new ways to help their child, or reimagine the way instruction can be delivered using games.

There are thousands of entrepreneurs just waiting to bring innovations to education. The question before us is if our nation will give them the opportunity to do so.

Aspen Institute Taskforce on Learning and the Internet: Learner at the Center of a Networked World

Aspen Institute Taskforce on Learning and the Internet: Learner at the Center of a Networked World

The Aspen Task Force on Learning and the Internet, with support and guidance from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is a group of 20 innovative and respected minds in technology, public policy, education, business, privacy and safety. The Task Force’s goal was to understand the ways in which young people learn today and to optimize learning and innovation within a trusted environment.

Six Recommendations for Learning in the Digital Age

The 20-member task force, which includes three former Federal Communications Commission leaders, made six recommendations comprising 26 action steps for policymakers, education leaders and others in a report released on Tuesday, June 17. But the central idea of this report is that learning should revolve around the student, not the institution of school.