The AI Policy Podcast

Aalok and Nicole discuss the latest AI cyber incidents, including major ARTEX-driven hacks and Qwen3.8 attempting to send local system data to a server in China. On the bright side, security experts used AI to find and patch a vulnerability in PHP impacting 70% of the internet. Plus, what's interesting in the Kimi K3.1 Pro model card and why Anthropic is getting backlash for its draft safety bill.   Timestamps:   1:12 ARTEX-enabled hacks 9:50 Qwen3.8 attempts to send data to China server 17:56 Calif finds vulnerability in PHP with GPT-5.6 Sol 25:32 Kimi K3.1 Pro model launch 31:06 Anthropic pitches draft safety bill   Additional Reading:   Microsoft blog post on ARTEX-enabled attack: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/10/21/storm-0940-uses-artex-agentic-ai-connectwise-supply-chain-compromise/   Cohere report on misaligned Qwen3.8: https://cohere.com/blog/concerning-behaviour-popular-open-weight-ai-model   Calif report on PHP2Shell: https://calif.io/php2shell/   Kimi K3.1 Pro model card: https://www.kimi.ai/blog/kimi-k3-1-pro   Anthropic's statement on improved distillation defenses: https://www.anthropic.com/news/distillation-defenses   Anthropic’s draft AI safety bill: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lJLyXL_2T6yc4rlKPqi6niMpfGucZ-oR/view   Anthropic’s IPO prospectus: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2130357/000162828026067168/anthropicpbc-sx1.htm 

This episode cross-posts the event "From Shahed to Geran: How Russia Continues to Reinvent the One-Way Attack Drone" hosted by the Wadhwani AI Center at CSIS on September 29.  Check out the full event recording: https://www.csis.org/events/shahed-geran-how-russia-continues-reinvent-one-way-attack-drone   Guests: Kateryna Bondar, Senior Fellow, Wadhwani AI Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Nicole Errera, Research Assistant, Wadhwani AI Center at CSIS  Samuel Bendett, Senior Associate (Non-resident), Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS Additional Reading: "From Shahed to Geran: How Russia Continues to Reinvent the One-Way Attack Drone" by Kateryna Bondar and Nicole Errera: https://www.csis.org/analysis/shahed-geran-how-russia-continues-reinvent-one-way-attack-drone

In this episode, Aalok and Nicole unpack OpenAI's latest math proof drop before diving into the White House's first policy actions in the "SI" era. They cover the (voluntary?) Accord on Super Intelligence signed by all the major industry players and discuss what listeners can expect from Trump's new Super Intelligence Force.    *This episode was recorded at 2:00 pm ET on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.*   Timestamps: 00:39 Model release updates + OpenAI/Anthropic price war 7:48 New math results from OpenAI 21:42 Tech leaders sign Accord on Super Intelligence 34:02 Trump's new Super Intelligence task force 43:40 Nonprofit sues OpenAI over Hugging Face hack   Additional Reading: "Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna" by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/ "Introducing Claude Opus 5.5" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5 "GPT-6.1 Sol" by OpenAI: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5 "Claude Haiku 5.5" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5 "Introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full: Frontier Models for Agents" by Meta: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/10/introducing-muse-wonder-models/ "Mark Zuckerberg says Meta has reached AI 'frontier'" by Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/fca23e77-be57-4d7e-ae61-74ff299e25cb "Gemini 4 Argon: Built to solve your hardest problems" by Google: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/introducing-gemini-4-argon/ OpenAI math results GitHub repository: https://github.com/openai/math/tree/main "100+ reactions to 100+ solutions" on Proofs and Prompts: https://proofsandprompts.com/2026/10/08/100-reactions-to-100-solutions/ White House Executive Order on Super Intelligence: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/ White House Accord on Super Intelligence: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/white-house-accord-super-intelligence Letter by three fired OpenAI employees: https://mikitabalesni.com/letter/letter.pdf Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology vs. OpenAI: https://lasst.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/LASST-v.-OpenAI-Complaint-09.29.2026-AS-FILED.pdf California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act: https://www.calpers.ca.gov/documents/ca-penal-code-502/download California Assembly Bill No. 316: https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab316 "AI models may be capable of self-replicating without access to a datacenter" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/research/self-replicating-ai

AI data centers have become a flashpoint for policymakers across the country in the leadup to midterm elections, with polls showing that seven in 10 Americans oppose new data center construction in their local area. In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center director Aalok Mehta sits down with writer Jasmine Sun for a conversation about the AI data center backlash. They unpack what's driving the opposition movement, where Washington and Silicon Valley diverge from the rest of the country, and how the AI infrastructure buildout might influence voters in November. This event is made possible by general funding to CSIS and the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center.

This week, Aalok and Nicole discuss new reports of rogue AI agents on the open internet – including the first known case of an agent hacking a government system – and the lackluster outcome of last week's highly anticipated U.S.-China summit. Plus, the Trump Administration and frontier lab CEOs present contrasting visions for AI governance at the UN General Assembly, and states continue to pass new regulation on both AI models and the data center buildout. *Disclaimer: this episode was recorded prior to a complaint filed against OpenAI Tuesday afternoon in San Francisco's Superior Court by Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology, citing California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act and Unfair Competition Law.   Timestamps: OpenAI agents hack Australian government site (1:02) Axios reports frontier labs facing "tens of thousands" of AI cyber incidents (7:48) Last week's U.S.-China summit (17:13) Remarks by heads of state at UNGA (21:26) Trump to appoint AI czar, establish AI Force (30:03) Updated court ruling on Anthropic vs. DOD (35:27) New data center directives in Texas, Virginia (38:30) California regulation updates (44:52)   Additional Reading:   “Scoop: Top AI companies probing tens of thousands of security incidents” by Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/09/26/openai-anthropic-thousands-ai-security-incidents   “Sam Altman’s remarks at the United Nations Security Council” by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/sam-altman-un-security-council-remarks/   Florida Office of the Attorney General vs. OpenAI: https://www.myfloridalegal.com/sites/default/files/openai-filed-stamped-complaint.pdf   “OpenAI Scraps Release of New AI Model Over Safety Concerns” by The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-chatgpt-model-release-cancel-safety-5a2f9f42   White House Executive Order "Streamlining Access To Government Services Through America.gov" https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/streamlining-access-to-government-services-through-america-gov/   Federal court ruling on Anthropic vs. DOD: https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/09/26-1049-2194984.pdf   Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's data center directive: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/TCEQ_Data_Center.pdf   Virginia Executive Order: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/eo-22-estab…   California Executive Order: https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/FINAL-N-9-26-AI-EO-9.18.26-SIGNED.pdf   CA Senate Bill No. 813: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB813 Text - SB-813 Independent verification organizations.

This week, Aalok is joined by Maryam Mujica, president of the General Catalyst Institute, and Munjal Shah, co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Hippocratic AI, for a discussion on how generative AI startups are thinking about AI regulation. Guests:  Maryam Mujica, President, General Catalyst Institute Munjal Shah, co-founder and CEO, Hippocratic AI Timestamps: About the General Catalyst Institute (1:52) About Hippocratic AI (6:56) Healthcare applications of AI (13:43) Impact of regulation on AI startups (18:32) Munjal's interactions with federal regulators (24:07) Issue of compute shortage (31:21) Impact of AI on labor (48:23)

An Anthropic researcher's viral resignation post last week set off a maelstrom of fear around extreme AI risks. Aalok and Nicole discuss the resulting vibe shift and how frontier labs are responding. They also unpack OpenAI solving one of the most difficult open problems in mathematics and reports of more rogue agent activity on the open internet.   Timestamps: OpenAI solves Millenium Problem (1:04) Rogue OpenAI agents take over a German wiki (12:14) Anthropic researcher's resignation post goes viral (19:34) Dario Amodei commits to embedding third-party evaluators inside Anthropic (28:12) Where the U.S. government can step in (35:12) Additional Reading: "On the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem" by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/navier-stokes-solution/ "An OpenAI model has disproved a central conjecture in discrete geometry" by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/model-disproves-discrete-geometry-conjecture/ Statement on Navier-Stokes by NYU Professor Tristan Buckmaster: https://cims.nyu.edu/~tristanb/statement.pdf "An alignment assessment of recent cybersecurity incidents" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/research/alignment-assessment-cybersecurity-incidents "OpenAI's rogue agents used at least 10 more sites for unauthorized comms, researchers say" by Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/openais-rogue-agents-used-least-10-more-sites-unauthorized-comms-rese… "OpenAI agents carried out an undisclosed cyber-attack on RubyGems" by Spencer Kitts, Thomas Larsen, and Sydney Von Arx: https://www.rubyhack.ai "Discovery of a new OpenAI agent message board" by Sydney Von Arx, Cormac Slade Byrd, Spencer Kitts, and Thomas Larsen: https://collusion.wiki "Anthropic Researcher Quits Over 'Out-of-Control' AI Fears" by The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-researcher-quits-over-out-of-control-ai-fears-707b7628 "The AI policy window is open. We need to act." by OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane: https://openai.com/index/ai-policy-window/ "We Must Pace the Frontier" by Dario Amodei: https://darioamodei.com/post/we-must-pace-the-frontier

This week, Aalok is joined by Jason Elliott, the former Deputy Chief of Staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom, for a conversation about regulating AI at the state level.   Guests: Jason Elliott, President, Versus Solutions   Timestamps: Jason's bio (0:16) Legislating at the state vs. federal level (2:21) Revisiting SB-1047 (5:58) SB-53 (13:43) States as "laboratories of democracy" (19:57) Influence of SB-53 on subsequent state bills (24:14) Federal preemption debate (27:59) Updating existing regulations (40:37)   Additional Reading: CA Senate Bill No. 1047: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1047 CA Senate Bill No. 53: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53 "The California Report on Frontier AI Policy" by the Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models: https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-17-2025-–-The-California-Report-on-Frontier-AI-Policy.pdf "Toward a Federal Framework: Lessons from State and International Frontier AI Regulation" by Laura Caroli and Aalok Mehta: https://www.csis.org/analysis/toward-federal-framework-lessons-state-and-international-frontier-ai-regulation CA Senate Bill No. 813: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB813 "Independent Oversight Marketplace for AI" by Fathom: https://ivo.fathom.or

This week, we unpack findings from METR's six-day investigation of the OpenAI-Hugging Face cyber incident. We also discuss an IVO bill passed by the California Legislature, Bill Gates' take on the current moment in AI, and a federal judge striking down Anthropic's supply chain risk designation. Additional Reading: SB-813 bill text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB813 "Toward a Federal Framework: Lessons from State and International Frontier AI Regulation" by Laura Caroli and Aalok Mehta: https://www.csis.org/analysis/toward-federal-framework-lessons-state-and-international-frontier-ai-regulation "The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical." by Bill Gates: https://www.gatesnotes.com/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make "Brief independent investigation of agents' behavior, reasoning and collaboration in the OpenAI/Hugging Face hacking incident" by METR: https://metr.org/blog/2026-08-26-openai-hugging-face-incident-investigation/ "The Hugging Face incident and the road ahead" by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-incident-and-the-road-ahead/ "A call for collective action on cyber defense" open letter by OpenAI: https://openai.com/collective-cyberdefense/

This episode cross-posts a panel from the event "AI Agent Containment Failures: Technical Realities and Policy Responses," co-hosted by the Wadhwani AI Center and the Institute for Law and AI on August 24.  Check out the full event recording: https://www.csis.org/events/ai-agent-containment-failures-technical-realities-and-policy-responses   Guests: Helen Toner, Executive Director, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown Mackenzie Arnold, Director of U.S. Policy, Institute for Law and AI (LawAI) Matt Pearl, Director, Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)  Timestamps: What we've learned since the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident (1:15) Incentives for safety measures at frontier labs (16:24) Technical talent within government (22:18) Ensuring compliance to incident reporting requirements (34:58) Liability for crimes committed by AI agents (38:00) Liability safe harbors (51:55)   Additional Reading: "When Reporting an AI Security Incident Is Not Mandatory" by Mackenzie Arnold and Stephan Llerena for Lawfare: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-reporting-an-ai-security-incident-is-not-mandatory "Investigating three real-world incidents in our cybersecurity evaluations" blog by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/news/investigating-incidents-cybersecurity-evals "Incident Report: unsanctioned agent behavior during cyber testing" by U.K. AISI: https://www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/incident-report-unsanctioned-agent-behaviour-during-cyber-testing "Pacing model development in an era of cyber-critical capabilities" announcement from OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/pacing-model-development-cyber-capabilities/ "Pacing the Frontier" petition: https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/ CSIS Commission on U.S. Cyber Force Generation: https://www.csis.org/analysis/csis-commission-us-cyber-force-generation Limitations of the current incident reporting regime (7:46)Role of the U.S. government in helping defenders (11:52)What the executive branch can do now (25:29)Concrete policy recommendations (29:31)U.S.-China competition (40:50)Preventing abuse of an incident reporting regime (44:25)De facto regulatory role played by frontier lab employees (49:24)Role of AI-generated code in cyberdefense (54:45)Concluding remarks (55:53)"Out of Bounds: What the U.S. Government Should Do in Response to AI Agent Containment Failures" by Aalok Mehta: https://www.csis.org/analysis/out-bounds-what-us-government-should-do-response-ai-agent-containment-failures"The 'Breaking' News: The OpenAI–Hugging Face Incident" presentation at Black Hat: https://youtu.be/87DyyMV0kCY?si=GWh9MB1plhO-xjYT

This week, we cover updates from the ongoing cyber saga, including OpenAI's two-week pause on RL training and the cyber capabilities of Z.ai's latest model GLM-5.3. We also unpack Anthropic's move to add watermarks to text generated by Claude in compliance with the EU AI Act. Timestamps: Mark Zuckerberg's essay on AI (00:20) OpenAI pauses RL training (5:56) Cyber capabilities of GLM-5.3 (15:29) EU AI Act refresher (24:29) How Anthropic's text watermark works (31:21) What's driving the backlash against Anthropic (40:59)   Additional Reading: Zuckerberg's essay "The Future is for Everyone": https://www.meta.com/thefutureisforeveryone/  OpenAI announces two-week pause on RL training: https://openai.com/index/pacing-model-development-cyber-capabilities/  Letter from Sanders to tech CEOs: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/AI-Pause-Letter-FINAL.pdf  Letter from House reps to Mike Johnson: https://casar.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/casar.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/final-letter-to-speaker-johnson-requesting-ai-hearings-1.pdf  Z.ai blog post "GLM-5.3: Frontier Coding with Emergent Cyber Capabilities": https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.3  Z.ai article "Preparing GLM-5.3 for Open Release: A Responsible Path to Cyber Defense": https://x.com/Zai_org/status/2088280509474320693  "The EU's AI Transparency Code of Practice, Explained" (Tech Policy Press): https://www.techpolicy.press/the-eus-ai-transparency-code-of-practice-explained/  Anthropic blog post "How Claude's text watermark works": https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-text-watermark  "Toward a Federal Framework: Lessons from State and International Frontier AI Regulation" (CSIS): https://www.csis.org/analysis/toward-federal-framework-lessons-state-and-international-frontier-ai-regulation Check out our upcoming event, "AI Agent Containment Failures: Technical Realities and Policy Responses": https://www.csis.org/events/ai-agent-containment-failures-technical-realities-and-policy-responses

In this episode, we're joined by Adrian Brown, founder and CEO of Windfall Trust, for a conversation about the economic impacts of AI.   Why the economic focus (00:58) Capturing AI's impact in macro statistics (5:03) Planning under uncertainty (9:44) What's driving the AI backlash (17:27) A new social contract for the AI era (20:31) Are governments taking AI seriously enough? (31:21) Why AI is likely to create major wealth concentration (39:10)   Adrian Brown is the founder and CEO of Windfall Trust, a policy accelerator working to prepare governments and societies for the economic impacts of AI. Before founding Windfall, he spent two decades at the intersection of government and technology, including as the founding Executive Director of the Centre for Public Impact in London.   Additional Reading   "Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence" (Stanford Digital Economy Lab): https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/publication/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-six-facts-about-the-recen…   "AI as Normal Technology" (Knight First Amendment Institute): https://knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-as-normal-technology   "Forging a New AGI Social Contract" (Windfall Trust): https://windfalltrust.substack.com/p/forging-a-new-agi-social-contract   "Betting on Humans" by Anton Leicht and Dean Ball: https://writing.antonleicht.me/p/betting-on-humans

In this episode, we touch on Texas' new verification and audit requirement for data center developers seeking connection to the state's grid (1:11) before unpacking Anthropic's disclosure of three incidents in which its models hacked into another company during internal cyber evaluations (11:02). We discuss how these incidents—in addition to a previously disclosed incident at OpenAI—are driving calls for the U.S. government to help "pace the frontier" of AI development (21:53). We also explore the connection between AI safety and open model development, including Nvidia's open letter to U.S. policymakers, "Open Weights and American AI Leadership." (33:18). Additional Reading: Gov. Abbott's data center directive: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Thomas_Gleeson_Pablo_Vegas_Data_Centers_Directive_Letter_… "China's AI Blitz Creates 'Death Zone' for Rival US Model Makers" (Bloomberg): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-04/china-s-ai-blitz-creates-death-zone-for-rival-us-model-makers Anthropic's blog post "Investigating three real-world incidents in our cybersecurity evaluations": https://www.anthropic.com/news/investigating-incidents-cybersecurity-evals  Hugging Face's technical writeup "Anatomy of a Frontier Lab Agent Intrusion": https://huggingface.co/blog/agent-intrusion-technical-timeline State Attorneys General letter to OpenAI: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/media/cms/08_5392C9E17791C.pdf House Committee on Homeland Security briefing request: https://x.com/HomelandDems/status/2084389406194929918 "How OpenAI Lost Control of an AI Model—and What Needs to Change" (TIME): https://time.com/article/2026/07/24/openai-hugging-face-attack/ "Pacing the Frontier" petition: https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/ Nvidia's open letter "Open Weights and American AI Leadership": https://images.nvidia.com/pdf/Open-Weights-and-American-AI-Leadership.pdf

In this episode, we're joined by Fathom co-founder and President Bri Treece for a conversation about third-party solutions to AI governance. Bri makes the case for Independent Verification Organizations, or IVOs, as the ideal AI governance model (5:32) and explains what historical analogies have to teach us about regulating AI (10:39). We also discuss the role IVOs can play in assuaging the public's concerns about AI (32:27). Bri is a co-founder and the President of Fathom. She previously served as the Chief Operations Officer of the Center for AI Safety (CAIS), a San Francisco-based nonprofit that works to reduce societal risks from AI through research and field-building. She also founded the Center for AI Safety Action Fund, an advocacy organization that connects technical AI experts with policymakers to advance U.S. leadership in AI.

In this episode, we're joined by Hiroki Habuka for a conversation about Japan's approach to AI sovereignty. We discuss how the Japanese government defines sovereign AI (1:08) and how that definition shifted following the Trump Administration's move to block foreign access to Anthropic's Fable in June (7:58). We also cover Japan's AI Promotion Act (13:52) and the country's take on copyright and AI in the context of "Ghiblification" (24:51).   Hiroki is a senior policy fellow in Japan's Cabinet Office on AI and a research professor at Kyoto University. In 2020, the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Agile Governance recognized him as one of the world's 50 most influential people revolutionizing government. Hiroki is a former non-resident senior associate of the Wadhwani AI Center.

In this episode, we discuss reports that OpenAI models escaped a sandboxed evaluation and breached Hugging Face's infrastructure (00:33). We then turn to Moonshot AI's Kimi K3, which has prompted talk of a second "DeepSeek moment," along with the distillation and export-control questions surrounding it (8:31). Finally, we cover New York Governor Kathy Hochul's executive order pausing data center permitting (26:57) and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis's proposed federal AI framework. (37:24).

In this episode, we're joined by Sean Mullin for a conversation on Canadian AI sovereignty. We discuss implications of the Trump Administration restricting foreign nationals' access to Fable (1:33); highlights from Canada's June 2026 National AI Strategy (13:05); the country's approach to AI regulation, including its AI and Data Act and (27:38); and more. Sean is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He previously served as economic policy advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. You can read Sean's recent report on Canadian AI sovereignty strategy here.

In this episode, we discuss the AI Safety Measures Act, or SB 315, Illinois' new frontier AI bill that mandates third-party audits for frontier AI labs (:51). We also cover the Trump administration's decision to lift export controls on Anthropic's Fable and Mythos models (7:34), Anthropic's claim that Alibaba extracted capabilities from Claude in a large-scale distillation attack (17:46), and OpenAI's proposal for the government to take a 5% stake in the company (26:12). Additional reading IL mandates third-party audits of frontier labs ⁠⁠AI Safety Measures Act (SB 315) Lutnick's June 30 letter Anthropic's blog post "Redeploying Fable 5" OpenAI's blog post "Previewing GPT-5.6 Sol"  "Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of 'Illicitly' Accessing AI Models" (Bloomberg) "OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake" (Financial Times) Commerce lifts export controls on AnthropicAnthropic accuses Alibaba of adversarial distillationOpenAI proposes government take 5% stake

In this episode, we're joined by Austin Carson and Joshua New of SeedAI, a nonprofit focused on building AI readiness in the United States. We discuss their backgrounds (00:56), SeedAI's mission and projects (10:28), opportunities and risks from using AI to advance scientific discovery (14:15), and more.

In this episode, we're joined by Kate Koren, deputy director of the Economics Program and Scholl Chair at CSIS, to discuss the Trump administration's recent move to impose export controls on Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models. We walk through the events leading up to the administration's decision (:47) and explore what authorities the Commerce Department has to restrict access to AI models (6:54). We also unpack the implications of AI industry executives joining world leaders at the G7 Summit in France last week (21:36).

In this episode, we unpack the Mythos-inspired executive order "Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security," which the Trump administration issued on June 2 after an initial delay (2:10). We also cover the draft federal AI framework released by Reps. Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan (14:53) and recent proposals for the U.S. government to acquire shares of American AI companies (24:55).

In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center Director Aalok Mehta is joined by Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach Foundation and experienced venture capitalist, for a discussion on bridging the technology talent gap between the private and public sectors. They will cover the mission and accomplishments of NobleReach, the newly launched US Tech Force and its implications for AI adoption across the federal government, and how AI is reshaping opportunities for the next generation of workers. Arun Gupta is CEO of NobleReach Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young technologists to move between the private and public sectors. He is the co-author of two books, Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society and The Mission Generation: Reclaim Your Purpose, Rewrite Success, Rebuild Our Future. Arun is also a Lecturer at Stanford University and an Adjunct Entrepreneurship Professor and Senior Advisor to the Provost at Georgetown University. This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.

In this episode, Aalok Mehta makes his first appearance as the new host of the AI Policy Podcast. We briefly discuss what listeners can expect in this new chapter of the podcast before diving into Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical on AI (1:45). We also cover President Trump's postponed executive order on AI and cybersecurity, including what the EO likely contained and why its signing ceremony was ultimately called off (18:09).

In this episode, founding host Gregory C. Allen announces his departure from CSIS and introduces Aalok Mehta, Director of the Wadhwani AI Center, as the new host of the AI Policy Podcast.

In this episode, we are joined by Wadhwani AI Center fellow Kateryna Bondar to discuss her recent reports on Russia's military AI, "How Russia Is Building a Sovereign Drone Ecosystem for AI-Driven Autonomy" and "How Russia Is Reshaping Command and Control for AI-Enabled Warfare."  We cover Kateryna's background (1:07) before doing a deep dive into the role technological innovation has played in the conflict in Ukraine (7:49). Kateryna then explains why AI capabilities in warfare "cannot be built, can only be grown" (22:24) and unpacks the report's claim that Russia has likely fielded a fully autonomous unmanned system in combat (53:02). Read Kateryna's report on Russia's AI-enabled C2 architecture here.  Read her report on Russia's sovereign drone ecosystem here.

In this special episode, we sit down with Katrina Manson, author of Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare. We explore what drew Katrina to this story (2:31), trace the turbulent history of Project Maven and the obstacles it has overcome (8:03), examine how the U.S. leveraged Maven to support Ukraine against Russia (31:32), and discuss Katrina's latest reporting on Maven's role in the ongoing conflict with Iran (47:40). You can order a copy of Katrina's book here.

In this episode, we unpack President Trump's new national framework for AI legislation (11:15), including reactions from experts and policymakers (39:44). We also discuss the indictment of a Super Micro co-founder for smuggling Nvidia chips into China (42:59) and Nvidia receiving permission to sell H200 chips to China (57:04).

In this episode, we provide a detailed update on the Anthropic-Pentagon clash, including the Trump Administration's decision to label Anthropic "a supply chain risk" (4:17), the lawsuits Anthropic has filed in response (11:45), and what these lawsuits and recent reporting reveal about how Claude has been used in the war in Iran (43:20).

In this episode, we're joined by Owen Larter, Head of Frontier Policy and Public Affairs at Google DeepMind, to explore the often-overlooked world of AI standards and the role they play in shaping how AI is developed and governed. We discuss what standards are and why they matter for technological progress (2:53), how standards are developed and the key organizations involved (16:05), the relationship between standards and AI regulation like the EU AI Act (26:58), and more.

In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center senior adviser Gregory C. Allen is joined by Andreessen Horowitz Chief Legal and Policy Officer Jai Ramaswamy and head of AI policy Matt Perault for a discussion on a16z's AI policy agenda. They will cover a16z's entrance into politics, their position on state and federal AI regulation, and how to ensure AI benefits society. Jai Ramaswamy is Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Andreessen Horowitz, overseeing the firm's legal, compliance, and government affairs functions. Previously, he was Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at cLabs. He has also served as the Head of Enterprise Risk Management at Capital One and Global Head of AML Compliance Risk Management at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Before joining the private sector, Jai worked for over a decade at the Justice Department, including as Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Matt Perault is the head of AI policy at Andreessen Horowitz, where he oversees the firm's policy strategy on AI and helps portfolio companies navigate the AI policy landscape. Before joining a16z, he was the director of the Center on Technology Policy at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He also previously served as head of global policy development at Facebook. Matt is a fellow at the Center on Technology Policy at New York University, the Abundance Institute, and the National Security Institute at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School.

In this episode, we break down the escalating Anthropic-Pentagon clash, including the best arguments for either side, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's ultimatum, and the potential consequences of designating Anthropic as a "supply chain risk" or invoking the Defense Production Act (00:34). We then discuss several recent stories that are sparking discourse about the economic impacts of AI (28:58) and a senior government official's claim that DeepSeek's forthcoming model was trained using Nvidia's Blackwell chips and frontier model distillation (45:51).

This special episode was recorded in India on the last day of the India AI Impact Summit. We discuss the highlights of our experience at the Summit (00:25), whether India accomplished its goals for the event (10:25), major AI investments announced (16:01), and key messages from speeches by AI CEOs (19:45) and government officials (28:35).

The second International AI Safety Report, released on February 3, brings together insights from over 100 AI experts across 30 countries to assess the current state of frontier AI systems. The report examines advanced models' capabilities, the risks they pose, and the technical and governance measures needed to ensure their safe development and deployment.  In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center senior adviser Gregory C. Allen is joined by lead writer Stephen Clare and MIT Ph.D. student Stephen Casper, who authored the section on technical safeguards. They discuss how the latest Safety Report compares to the first edition published last year, explore the Report’s findings on technical safeguards, and unpack the document’s key policy implications.

In this special episode recorded at Fathom’s 2026 Ashby Workshops, Greg sits down with Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America and author of Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. Jennifer walks us through her career journey, from filing paperwork at a child welfare agency to helping pioneer the U.S. Digital Services in the Obama administration (3:45). She describes the need for upstream policy reform (11:29), and discusses AI’s potential to both empower public servants to challenge antiquated practices and help policymakers simplify complex regulations (28:03). Finally, Jennifer shares some AI use cases she’s particularly excited about in government (59:34).   Jennifer Pahlka is a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and the Federation of American Scientists and a senior advisor at the Abundance Network. She previously served as U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer, helping start the U.S. Digital Services under the second Obama administration, and as a member of the Defense Innovation Network.   Read Jennifer’s book Recoding America and check out her Substack Eating Policy.   Jennifer’s recommended reading: Hack Your Bureaucracy by Marina Nitze & Nick Sinai Crisis Engineering by Marina Nitze, Matthew Weaver, & Mikey Dickerson The Procedure Fetish by Nicholas Bagley Why Nothing Works by Marc J. Dunkelman Kill It with Fire by Marianne Bellotti

This episode cross-posts a fireside chat with the Ambassadors of India and France to the United States, Amb. Vinay Kwatra and Amb. Laurent Bili. The discussion was recorded at the Wadhwani AI Center’s January 30 conference, “Exploring Global AI Policy Priorities Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit.” A full recording of the conference, including additional panels and speakers, can be found here.

In this episode, we discuss and evaluate the BIS' new export policy for Nvidia's H200 chips (00:31) before turning to Beijing's decision to block H200 imports (20:18). We then unpack the Pentagon's recently published AI Strategy, including the shift it represents in DOW's approach to AI integration (29:17).   Read the CNAS commentary "Unpacking the H200 Export Policy" here.

In this episode, we examine Grok’s public posting of child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate imagery (00:27), the legal consequences xAI may face (12:41), and the international policy community's response (19:05). We then unpack New York’s RAISE Act, including the politics leading up to Gov. Hochul’s signature (22:51) and the final outcome of negotiations (28:16).

Since 2023, a series of global AI summits has brought together world leaders to advance international dialogue and cooperation on artificial intelligence. Building on this momentum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the India AI Impact Summit, which will take place in New Delhi in February 2026. As the first summit in the series to be hosted in a Global South country, the AI Impact Summit aims to amplify Global South perspectives and advance concrete action to address both the opportunities and risks of AI. On December 8, 2025, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted S. Krishnan, Secretary of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), for a livestreamed fireside chat with Wadhwani AI Center Senior Adviser Gregory C. Allen. Secretary Krishnan, who leads India’s national AI strategy, will outline India’s policy priorities and share insights into the goals and global aspirations shaping the upcoming AI Impact Summit. He will also offer a comprehensive look at the central role MeitY plays in driving innovation across India’s AI ecosystem. Secretary Krishnan brings more than 35 years of experience in public service, having joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1989. Prior to his current role, he served as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department in the Government of Tamil Nadu. He has also served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Executive Director for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan at the International Monetary Fund, and has represented India in the G20 Expert Groups on International Financial Architecture and Global Financial Safety Nets. Secretary Krishnan holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.

In this episode, we're joined by Chris McGuire for a conversation about AI and semiconductor export controls. We begin by discussing Chris' career path into AI and national security (1:55), then turn to his views on recent developments, including reports about a Chinese EUV prototype (11:07). We spend the rest of the episode rating common arguments against AI export controls as fact, fiction, or somewhere in-between (40:25).   Chris is a Senior Fellow for China and Emerging Technologies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a leading expert on U.S.-China AI competition. Before joining CFR, he served as a career government official for over a decade, including as Deputy Senior Director for Technology and National Security at the National Security Council (NSC) from 2022 to 2024. Links to some of Chris' recent work, as discussed in the podcast, are included below.   China’s AI Chip Deficit: Why Huawei Can’t Catch Nvidia and U.S. Export Controls Should Remain   Testimony on Strengthening Export Controls on Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

In this episode, we unpack President Trump’s new executive order targeting state AI laws, including how the final version compares to an earlier draft (1:26), and the legal and political challenges it is likely to face (14:46). We then discuss recent Reuters reporting on Meta’s reliance on scam-driven ad revenue (22:12) and what the social media experience suggests about the risks of failing to regulate AI (45:21).

In this episode, we break down the White House’s decision to let Nvidia’s H200 chips be exported to China and Greg’s case against the move (00:33). We then discuss Trump’s planned “One Rule” executive order to preempt state AI laws (18:59), examine the NDAA's proposed AI Futures Steering Committee (23:09), and analyze the Genesis Mission executive order (26:07), comparing its ambitions and funding reality to the Manhattan Project and Apollo program. We close by looking at why major insurers are seeking to exclude AI risks from corporate policies and how that could impact AI adoption, regulation, and governance (40:29).

In this episode, we start by discussing Greg's trip to India and the upcoming India AI Impact Summit in February 2026 (00:29). We then unpack the Trump Administration’s draft executive order to preempt state AI laws (07:46) and break down the European Commission’s new “digital omnibus” package, including proposed adjustments to the AI Act and broader regulatory simplification efforts (17:51). Finally, we discuss Anthropic’s report on a China-backed “highly sophisticated cyber espionage campaign" using Claude and the mixed reactions from cybersecurity and AI policy experts (37:37).

In this episode, Georgia Adamson and Saif Khan from the Institute for Progress join Greg to unpack their October 25 paper, "Should the US Sell Blackwell Chips to China?" They discuss the geopolitical context of the paper (3:26), how the rumored B30A would compare to other advanced AI chips (11:37), and the potential consequences if the US were to permit B30A exports to China (32:00). Their paper is available here.

One of the most common questions we get from listeners is how to build a successful career in AI policy—so we dedicated an entire episode to answering it. We cover the most formative experiences from Greg's career journey (3:30), general principles for professional success (45:09), and actionable tips specific to breaking into the AI policy space (1:11:52).

In this episode, we cover OpenAI’s latest video-generation model Sora 2 (1:02), concrete harms and potential risks from deepfakes (5:18), the underlying technology and its history (27:03), and how policy can mitigate harms (36:31).

In this episode, we are joined by Rep. Jay Obernolte, one of Congress’s leading voices on AI policy. We discuss his path from developing video games to serving in Congress (00:49), the work of the bipartisan House Task Force on AI and its final report (9:39), competing approaches to designing AI regulation in Congress (16:38), and prospects for federal preemption of state AI legislation (40:32). Congressman Obernolte has represented California’s 23rd district since 2021. He co-chaired the bipartisan House Task Force on AI, leading the development of an extensive December 2024 report outlining a congressional agenda for AI. He also serves as vice-chair of the Congressional AI Caucus and is the only current member of Congress with an advanced degree in Artificial Intelligence, which he earned from UCLA in 1997. Rep. Obernolte previously served in the California State Legislature.

In this episode, we are joined by economist Harry Holzer to discuss how AI is set to transform labor. Holzer was Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Clinton administration and is currently a Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University. We break down the fundamentals of the labor market (4:00) and the current and future impact of AI automation (10:30). Holzer also reacts to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's warning that AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs (23:32) and explains why we need better data capturing AI's impact on the labor market (52:53). Harry Holzer recently co-authored a white paper titled "Proactively Developing & Assisting the Workforce in the Age of AI," which is available here.

In this episode, we dive into California's new AI transparency law, SB 53. We explore the bill's history (00:30), contrast it with the more controversial SB 1047 (6:43), break down the specific disclosure requirements for AI labs of different scales (13:38), and discuss how industry stakeholders and policy experts have responded to the legislation (29:47).

In this episode, we're joined by Joseph Majkut, Director of CSIS' Energy Security and Climate Change Program, to take an in-depth look at energy's role in AI. We explore the current state of the U.S. electrical grid (11:34), bottlenecks in the AI data center buildout (43:45), how U.S. energy efforts compare internationally (1:16:06), and more. Joseph has co-authored three reports on AI and energy: AI for the Grid: Opportunities, Risks, and Safeguards (September 2025), The Electricity Supply Bottleneck on U.S. AI Dominance (March 2025), and The AI Power Surge: Growth Scenarios for GenAI Datacenters Through 2030 (March 2025).

In this episode, we discuss how today’s massive AI infrastructure investments compare to the Manhattan Project (00:33), China’s reported ban on Nvidia chips and its implications for export control policy (13:41), Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement with authors (33:49), and recent multibillion-dollar AI investments by Nvidia and ASML (44:42).

In this episode, we discuss China's focus on AI adoption (00:58), the underlying factors driving investor enthusiasm (14:51), and the national security implications of China's booming AI industry (31:47).

In this episode, we are joined by Marietje Schaake, former Member of the European Parliament, to unpack the EU AI Act Code of Practice. Schaake served as Chair of the Working Group on Internal Risk Management and Governance of General-Purpose AI Providers for the Code of Practice, with a focus on AI model safety and security. We discuss the development and drafting of the EU AI Act and Code of Practice (16:47), break down how the Code helps AI companies demonstrate compliance with the Act (28:25), and explore the kinds of systemic risks the AI Act seeks to address (32:00).

In this episode, we unpack the Trump administration’s $8.9 billion deal to acquire a 9.9% stake in Intel, examining the underlying logic, financial terms, and political reactions from across the spectrum (00:33). We then cover Nvidia’s sudden halt in H20 chip production for China, its plans for a Blackwell alternative, and what Beijing’s self-sufficiency push means for the AI race (28:18).

In this episode, we'll break down the Trump administration’s new licensing agreement with Nvidia and AMD for semiconductor exports and what this development means for U.S. national security (00:35), explore concerns about an AI-driven economic bubble (22:17), and unpack recent advancements for the federal government's adoption AI after the U.S. General Services Administration approved OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google as vendors (37:18).

In this episode, we cover the renewed debate over U.S. approval of Nvidia’s H20 chip exports to China, from political pushback in Washington to reactions in Beijing (00:30). We also examine how the AI industry is responding to the EU AI Code of Practice and the reasons some companies are choosing not to sign (44:53). Read Gregory C. Allen's report on DeepSeek here. Watch or listen to our event with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios here.

On July 30, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for a discussion breaking down the recently released AI Action Plan and discuss the Trump administration’s vision for U.S. AI leadership and innovation amid strategic competition with China.  As the thirteenth Director of the White House OSTP, Mr. Kratsios oversees the development and execution of the nation’s science and technology policy agenda. He leads the Trump administration’s efforts to ensure American leadership in scientific discovery and technological innovation, including in critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology. In the first Trump administration, he served as the fourth Chief Technology Officer of the United States at the White House and as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon. Watch the full event or read the transcript here: Unpacking the White House AI Action Plan with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios

In this special episode, we honor the life of Andrew Schwartz, Chief Communications Officer at CSIS and beloved  co-host of this podcast. Andrew was a mentor, a friend, and a tireless champion of the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center’s work. His humor, personal stories, and passion shaped this show and left a lasting impact on all of us. Our team, our community, and CSIS will miss him deeply.

In this episode, we are joined by Kyle Chan, postdoctoral researcher at Princeton’s Sociology Department and adjunct researcher at the RAND Corporation, to explore China's approach to AI industrial policy. We discuss the fundamentals of industrial policy and how it operates in China's digital technology sector (4:15), the evolution of China's AI industrial policy toolkit and its impact on companies (19:29), China's current AI priorities, protectionism strategies, and adoption patterns (47:05), and the future trajectory of China's AI industrial policy amid US-China competition (1:12:22). Kyle co-authored RAND's June 26 report "Full Stack: China’s Evolving Industrial Policy for AI," which is available here.

In this episode, we cover the Senate's vote to remove the moratorium on state AI laws from the reconciliation bill (00:38), the latest AI copyright court rulings involving Meta and Anthropic (7:38), key takeaways from the House Select Committee on China's AI hearing (20:55), and the latest developments surrounding DeepSeek, including export control impacts and military ties (27:45).

In this episode, we’re joined by Miles Brundage, independent AI policy researcher and former Head of Policy Research at OpenAI, and Chris Rohlf, Security Engineer at Meta and cybersecurity expert. We cover the fundamentals of cybersecurity today (9:20), whether AI is tipping the offense-defense balance (21:00), the critical challenge of securing AI model weights (34:55), the debate over “AI security doomerism” (1:03:15), and how policymakers can strengthen incentives to secure AI systems (1:08:46).

In this episode, we discuss the U.S. AI Safety Institute's rebrand to the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (00:37), BIS Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler's testimony on semiconductor export controls (10:36), and Meta's new AI superintelligence lab and accompanying $15 billion investment in Scale AI (22:26).

On June 9, 2025,  the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Ryan Tseng, Co-Founder and President of Shield AI, a company building AI-powered software to enable autonomous capabilities for defense and national security.    Mr. Tseng leads strategic partnerships with defense and policy leaders across the United States and internationally. Under his leadership, Shield AI secured major contracts with the U.S. Special Operations Command, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, while expanding internationally with offices opening in Ukraine and the UAE.    Watch the full event here.

In this episode, we discuss House Republicans’ proposed moratorium on state and local AI laws (00:57), break down AI-related appropriations across the executive branch (18:54), and unpack the safety issues and safeguards of Anthropic's newest model, Claude Opus 4 (26:51). Correction: In this episode, a quote was incorrectly attributed directly to Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.). The statement—“Should the provision be stripped from the Senate reconciliation bill, some Republicans are eyeing separate legislation.”—was reported by The Hill as a paraphrase of Rep. Lee’s comments.

In this episode, we discuss Princeton researcher Kyle Chan's op-ed in the New York Times on China's industrial policy for AI and advanced technologies (0:35), what the Bureau of Industry and Security's new controls on Huawei's Ascend chips mean for China's AI ecosystem (10:09), and our biggest takeaways from President Trump's visit to the Middle East (19:07).

In this episode, we discuss the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the AI Diffusion Framework (1:34), the message of top AI executives in their recent Senate testimony (20:03), what AI adoption could mean for the IRS (35:15), the U.S. Copyright Office’s latest report on generative AI training (44:44), and what AI policy might look like in the new papacy (49:24).

In this episode, we discuss what the Trump administration's Fiscal Year 2026 budget request means for federal AI spending, what might happen to the AI Diffusion Framework before its May 15 implementation deadline, and what the Chinese Communist Party Politburo's Study Session on AI indicates about China's AI ambitions.

On May 1, 2025, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Alexandr Wang, Founder and CEO of Scale AI, a company accelerating AI development by delivering expert-level data and technology solutions to leading AI labs, multinational enterprises, and governments. He shared his insights on key issues shaping the future of AI policy, such as U.S.-China AI competition, international AI governance, and the new administration’s approach to AI innovation, regulation, and global standards. Alexandr founded Scale AI in 2016 as a 19-year-old MIT student with the vision of providing the critical data and infrastructure needed for complex AI projects. Under his leadership, Scale AI has grown to nearly a $14 billion valuation, serving hundreds of customers across industries ranging from finance to government agencies, and creating flexible, impactful AI work for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Watch full event at the following link: https://www.csis.org/analysis/scale-ais-alexandr-wang-securing-us-ai-leadership

In this episode, we discuss OSTP Director Michael Kratsios’s recent speech on US technology policy at the Endless Frontiers Retreat (0:19), the Trump administration’s decision to control the Nvidia H20 chip (10:48), and what Huawei’s announcement of the Ascend 920 chip means for U.S.-China AI competition (18:24).

In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center Director Gregory C. Allen is joined by Andrew Freedman, Chief Strategic Officer at Fathom, an organization whose mission is to find, build, and scale the solutions needed to help society transition to a world with AI. They will discuss the origins and purpose of Fathom, key initiatives shaping AI policy around the country such as California Senate Bill 813, and the new administration's approach to AI governance. They will also unpack the concept of “Private AI Governance” and what it means for the future of the U.S. AI ecosystem.  Andrew Freedman is the Chief Strategic Officer at Fathom, boasting over 15 years of expertise in emerging industries and regulatory frameworks. Previously, he was a Partner at Forbes Tate Partners, where he led the firm's coalition work in technology and emerging regulatory sectors. Andrew has advised governments in California, Canada, and Massachusetts, and has been a speaker at major conferences like Code Conference and Aspen Ideas Fest. Earlier in his career, Andrew served as Chief of Staff to Colorado's Lieutenant Governor, where he established the Office of Early Childhood and secured a $45 million Race to the Top Grant. He also managed the Colorado Commits to Kids campaign, raising $11 million in three months for education funding. Andrew holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Tufts University.

In this episode, we discuss what the Trump administration’s tariffs mean for the US AI ecosystem (2:42), reporting that Nvidia’s H20s will be exempt from export controls (8:58), the latest AI guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) (12:48), and the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan (17:07).

In this episode, we are joined by Matt Sheehan, fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We discuss the evolution of China's AI policymaking process over the past decade (6:45), the key institutions shaping Chinese AI policy today (44:30), and the changing nature of China's attitude to AI safety (50:55).

In this episode, we discuss AI companies' responses to the White House AI Action Plan Request For Information (RFI) related to key areas like export controls and AI governance (00:51), the release of the Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models draft report (24:45), and how AI might be affecting the computer programming job market (40:10).

In this episode of the AI Policy Podcast, Wadhwani AI Center Director Gregory C. Allen is joined by Dean Ball, Research Fellow in the Artificial Intelligence & Progress Project at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. They will discuss how state and local governments are approaching AI regulation, what factors are shaping these efforts, where state and local efforts intersect, and how a fractured approach to governance might affect the AI policy landscape. In addition to his role at the George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, Dean Ball is the author of the Substack Hyperdimensional. Previously, he was Senior Program Manager for the Hoover Institution's State and Local Governance Initiative. Prior to his position at the Hoover Institution, he served as Executive Director of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, based in Plymouth, Vermont and Washington, D.C. He also worked as the Deputy Director of State and Local Policy at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research from 2014–2018.

In this episode, we discuss the Wadhwani AI Center’s latest publication on the implications of DeepSeek for the future of export controls (0:40), Chinese company Manus AI (9:05), what Secretary Hegseth’s memo means for the DOD AI ecosystem (15:27), and xAI’s acquisition of 1 million square feet for its new data center in Memphis (21:28).

In this special episode, we are joined by Georgia Adamson, Research Associate at the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center, Lennart Heim, Associate Information Scientist at RAND, and Sam Winter-Levy, Fellow for Technology and International Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We outline the biggest takeaways from our recent report about the UAE's role in the global AI race (2:34), the details of the Microsoft-G42 deal (17:21), our assessment of the UAE-China relationship when it comes to AI technology (25:45), and the future of export controls (44:07).

In our first video episode, we discuss xAI's release of the Grok 3 family of models, the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) impact on the federal AI workforce, Xi Jinping's meeting with major Chinese AI company executives, and what the Evo-2 model could mean for the future of biology. 

In this special episode, Greg breaks down his biggest takeaways from the Paris AI Action Summit. He discusses France’s goals for the summit (5:05), Vice President JD Vance’s speech about the US vision for AI (12:16), the EU’s approach to the convening (17:13), why the US and UK did not sign the summit declaration (20:50), and the rebranded UK AI Security Institute (23:20).

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.

In this episode, DOD Chief Digital and AI Officer Dr. Radha Plumb joins Greg Allen to discuss the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO)'s current role at the department and a preview of its upcoming projects. The CDAO was established in 2022 to create, implement, and steer the DOD’s digital transformation and adoption of AI. Under Dr. Plumb’s leadership, the CDAO recently announced a new initiative, Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories (DAGIR), which will open a multi-vendor ecosystem connecting DOD end users with innovative software solutions. Dr. Plumb discusses the role of Open DAGIR and a series of other transformative projects currently underway at the CDAO.

In this episode, we discuss the state of autonomous weapons systems adoption in Ukraine (00:55), our takeaways from the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine and the implications for AI regulation (17:35), the delayed deployment of Apple Intelligence in the EU (30:55), and a breakdown of Nvidia's deal to sell its technology to data centers in the Middle East (41:30).