The AI Policy Podcast

In this crossover episode with Truth of the Matter, we discuss the origins of Chinese AI Company DeepSeek (0:55), the release of its DeepSeek R1 model and what it means for the future of U.S.- China AI competition (3:05), why it prompted such a massive reaction by U.S. policymakers and the U.S. stock market (14:04), and the Trump administration's response (24:03)  

In this episode, we break down President Trump's repeal of the the Biden administration's Executive Order (EO) on AI (1:00), the release of the America First Trade Policy memorandum (9:52), and the Trump administration's own AI EO (15:02). We are then joined by Lennart Heim, Senior Information Scientist at the RAND Corporation to discuss the Stargate announcement (20:40), how AI company CEOs are talking about AGI (38:36), and why the latest models from DeepSeek matter (52:02).

In this special episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Andrew, Greg, and CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director Joseph Majkut discuss the Biden administration's Executive Order on Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure. They consider the motivation for this measure and its primary goals (1:07), its reception among AI and hyperscaler companies (12:18), and how the Trump administration might approach AI and energy (17:50). 

In this pressing episode, we break down the release of the Biden administration's Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion. We discuss the rationale for this latest control (0:52), and its reception among major AI and semiconductor firms (8:14), U.S. allies (17:15), and the incoming administration (19:48). 

In this episode, we discuss the December 2nd semiconductor export control update (0:45), the Trump administration’s appointment of David Sacks as the White House AI czar (5:35), the OpenAI and Anduril partnership and its implication for national security (9:31), and the latest from China’s autonomous fighter aircraft program (16:39).  

On this special episode, Wadhwani AI Center director Gregory C. Allen is joined by Dr. Ben Buchanan, the White House Special Advisor for AI. They discuss the Biden administration's biggest AI policy achievements including the AI Bill of Rights, the AI Safety Institute, and the Hiroshima AI process, and the National Security Memorandum on AI.

On this special episode, New York Times reporter Ana Swanson is joined by Neil Chilson, Head of AI Policy at The Abundance Institute, Kara Frederick, Director, Tech Policy Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Brandon Pugh, Director and Senior Fellow, Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats at R Street Institute. They discuss what we can expect from the incoming Trump administration when it comes to AI policy. 

In this episode, we are joined by Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Chair in the School of Social Science at the Institute of Advanced Study, and the former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). We discuss her background in AI policy (1:30), the Blueprint for the AI Bill of Rights (9:43), its relationship to the White House Executive Order on AI (23:47), the Senate AI Insight Forums (29:55), the European approach to AI governance (29:55), state-level AI regulation (41:20), and how the incoming administration should approach AI policy (47:04).

In this episode, we discuss recent reporting that so called "scaling laws" are slowing and the potential implications for the policy community (0:37), the latest models coming out of the China AI ecosystem (12:37), the U.S. China - Economic Security Review Commission recommendation for a Manhattan Project for AI (19:02), and the biggest takeaways from the first draft of the European Union's General Purpose AI Code of Practice (25:46)

https://www.csis.org/analysis/eu-code-practice-general-purpose-ai-key-takeaways-first-draft

https://www.csis.org/analysis/ai-safety-institute-international-network-next-steps-and-recommendations

https://www.csis.org/analysis/understanding-military-ai-ecosystem-ukraine

https://www.csis.org/events/international-ai-policy-outlook-2025

Correction: hyperscalers Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are expected to invest $300 billion in AI and AI infrastructure in 2025.

In this episode we are joined by Vilas Dhar, President and Trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a 21st century $1.5 billion philanthropy advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. We discuss his background (1:26), the foundation and its approach to AI philanthropy (4:11), building public sector capacity in AI (13:00), the definition of AI governance (20:07), ongoing multilateral governance efforts (23:01), how liberal and authoritarian norms affect AI (28:35), and what the future of AI might look like (30:30).

In this episode, we discuss what AI policy might look like under the second Trump administration. We dive into the first Trump administration's achievements (0:50), how the Trump campaign handled AI policy (3:37), and where the new administration might fall on key issue areas like national security (5:59), safety (7:37), export controls (11:27), open-source (14:04), and more. 

In this special episode, we discuss the National Security Memorandum on AI the Biden administration released on October 24th, its primary audience and main objectives, and what the upcoming U.S. election could mean for its implementation. 

On this special episode, Wadhwani AI Center director Gregory C. Allen is joined by Schuyler Moore, the first-ever Chief Technology Officer of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Justin Fanelli, the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of the Navy, and Dr. Alex Miller, the Chief Technology Officer for the Chief of Staff of the Army for a discussion on the warfighter's adoption of emerging technologies. They discuss how U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in conjunction with the Army and Navy, has been driving the use of AI and other advanced technologies through a series of exercises such as Desert Sentry, Digital Falcon Oasis, Desert Guardian, and Project Convergence.

In this episode, we are joined by former MEP Dragoș Tudorache, co-rapporteur of the EU AI Act and Chair of the Special Committee on AI in the Digital Age. We discuss where we are in the EU AI Act roadmap (2:37), how to balance innovation and regulation (11:20), the future of the EU AI Office (25:00), and the increasing energy infrastructure demands of AI (42:30).

The European Approach to Regulating Artificial Intelligence

In this episode, we discuss Nvidia's earnings report and its implications for the AI industry (0:53), the impact of China's Gallium and Germanium export controls on the global semiconductor competition (9:50), and why OpenAI is demonstrating its capabilities for the national security community (18:00).

In this episode, we are joined by Jeff Alstott, expert at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and director of the Center for Technology and Security Policy at RAND, to discuss past technology forecasting across the national security community (20:45) and a new NSF initiative called Assessing and Predicting Technology Outcomes (APTO) (31:30). 

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/new.nsf.gov/tip/updates/nsf-invests-nearly-52m-align-science-technology__;!!KRhing!eOu1AsJT51VVjrOK6T3-do43HgthGjQ9H0JkwgwH774TXBgeHKT2IweoShOS_F8P27yWUnkbispIRQ$

In this episode, we discuss the CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies latest report on the DOD's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program (0:58), what recent news about AI chip smuggling means for U.S. export controls (13:40), how California's SB 1047 might affect AI regulation (23:18), and our biggest takeaways from the EU AI Act going into force (33:52).

Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program: Good News, Bad News, and Unanswered Questions

In this episode, we are joined by Andrei Iancu, former Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and former Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), to discuss whether AI-generated works can be copyrighted (15:52), what the latest USPTO guidance means for the patent subject matter eligibility of AI systems (22:31), who can claim inventorship for AI-facilitated inventions (36:00), and the use of AI by patent and trademark applicants and the USPTO (53:43).

On this special episode, the CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies is pleased to host Elizabeth Kelly, Director of the United States Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI) was announced by Vice President Kamala Harris at the UK AI Safety Summit in November 2023. The institute was established to advance the science, practice, and adoption of AI safety in the face of risks including those to national security, public safety, and individual rights. Director Kelly will discuss the U.S. AISI’s recently released Strategic Vision, its activities under President Biden’s AI Executive Order, and its approach to the AISI global network announced at the AI Seoul Summit. 

In this episode, we discuss what AI policy might like look after the 2024 U.S. presidential election. We dive into the past (1:00), present (9:50), and future (22:50) of both the Trump and Harris campaigns’ AI policy positions and where they fall on the key issue areas like safety (23:01), open-source (25:17), energy infrastructure (33:27), and more.