Technology and the Public Interest
Books, essays, and commentary from John Palfrey
Essays
Notes from AI Action Summit in Delhi, India, February 2026
Reflections on AI, governance, and the public interest from the AI Action Summit in Delhi.
Read essayConcord Free Public Library 150th Anniversary Celebration
Remarks on libraries, civic institutions, and the enduring importance of public knowledge.
Read essayInvesting in the Arts—in Chicago and Beyond
Thoughts on philanthropy, culture, and why investing in the arts matters for public life.
Read essayCommentary from John Palfrey
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Join Us! Scholar in Connected Learning
A chance to join the new Andover Institute and the famed Phillips Academy math department. ..
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Recent Books: on Adolescence, Technology, Sexuality, and More
A few times per year, I have been sharing a “Head of School’s bookshelf” with community members at Phillips Academy. It comes this time in two parts: 1) six books that are among those I’ve read in the past few months and which I commend as “community reads” because of one or more connections to…
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The next thing Silicon Valley needs to disrupt big time: its own culture
Fascinating reflection on diversity and Silicon Valley culture.
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We’re now part of the DPLA
So excited to welcome the Cambridge Public Library to the Digital Public Library of America!
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Learning in the World: Global, Community-Based, and Experiential Opportunities
As the Phillips Academy trustees are arriving for a spring weekend, we’ve been talking with a few alums and parents about our plans for the Andover Institute. One of the three areas of focus involves expanding the global learning opportunities we offer to our students, coming together as ideas here: Learning in the World: Global,…
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Master Class with Chris Hughes, Phillips Academy ’02 on Hannah Arendt’s “Responsibility and Judgment”
We have the great privilege today of Chris Hughes‘ visit to Andover. Chris graduated from Phillips Academy in 2002. He returns today to teach a master-class with me, to give the All School Meeting address, and to meet with various groups on campus. The master class takes as its starting point a text: Hannah Arendt’s…
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Happy 1st Birthday, DPLA!
The Digital Public Library of America is one year old! We launched in April, 2013 after a few years of planning and barnstorming the country for ideas, inspiration, and volunteers. While we postponed the launch celebration due to the tragic Marathon bombing that same week just outside the Boston Public Library, the site — at…
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Remarks for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration 2014 at Andover
I am glad to see you all back here, safe and sound, in Cochran Chapel so that we can look ahead, look to the kind of community that we want to build. We come together today to celebrate both community and diversity, the pillars of what sets Phillips Academy apart – a school proudly built…
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What I’m Looking For in a Short Paper: Hacking Class 2013-2014
I am teaching a winter-term seminar course at Phillips Academy to ten seniors entitled “Hacking: A Course in Experiments.” I had a great time teaching it last year as well with ten students (I miss them!), and now have the privilege of repeating it for a new group of students. We are starting today. The…
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Live-Blogged Notes from New York Times Schools for Tomorrow Conference 2013
These are my live-blogging notes from morning sessions — especially Sal Khan’s keynote — at the New York Times Schools Conference on September 17, 2013 at the Times Center. Here are some high-points from Sal Khan’s keynote, which expand on the basics about reach that you may already know (reaches 200 countries, 8 million registered…
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Bookshelf: Ideas for Secondary School Teachers, with a Bent Toward the Digital
In each of the last two academic years, I’ve made short lists of books I’ve liked, related mostly (but not exclusively) to secondary education and the digital world, to share with the faculty of Phillips Academy. We buy a stack of each of the books, placed on the shelf outside my office, and share them…
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All-School Meeting Remarks: Opening of School, 2013 at Phillips Academy
I thought I would share on this blog a copy of what I said, more or less, to the assembled 1,129 students and to hundreds of faculty of Phillips Academy this morning to open our school year. The All School Meeting, held in Cochran Chapel, started with a procession of 58 flags representing the countries…