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POLITICO Tech

POLITICOwww.politico.com
The POLITICO Tech podcast is your download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. New episodes on Thursdays.
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Episodes

Former FCC Chair Ajit Pai on net neutrality’s return — and why he hates it

The Federal Communications Commission will vote tomorrow to re-impose net neutrality, controversial regulations that require internet service providers to treat all websites equally. Ajit Pai is the former Republican FCC chair who took them away back in 2017. And he joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to challenge Democrats’ reasons for bringing the rules back -- even as he says most Americans have moved on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 24, 202421 min

Montana's Attorney General on the state's battle to ban TikTok

All eyes are on the Senate this week, where lawmakers are taking up a bill that forces TikTok to find a new owner. Now, Congress can be an unpredictable place. But things have never looked worse for the popular app. So, what happens next? It seems clear that TikTok would take the U.S. government to court, likely arguing that forcing a sale, and potentially imposing a ban, violates the constitutional rights of TikTok’s investors and users. Right now, TikTok is locked in a lawsuit with the state o...

Apr 23, 202417 min

One-on-one with the UAE's AI minister

The United Arab Emirates has produced some of the world’s biggest open-source AI models. And that was before Microsoft put big money into one of its AI companies last week — part of the U.S. effort to pull the Gulf nation away from China’s influence. At an Atlantic Council event, the country’s AI minister, His Excellency Omar Al Olama, spoke with host Steven Overly about AI alliances, global rulemaking and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 22, 202425 min

Inside the Chinese embassy’s quiet lobbying on TikTok

Officials from the Chinese embassy have been making the rounds on Capitol Hill as U.S. lawmakers weigh a forced sale of the video-sharing app TikTok. Reporter Hailey Fuchs joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to explain what happened inside the meetings and how they could complicate TikTok’s own lobbying efforts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 202410 min

Ciao. Adios. Au revoir. Will AI squash European languages?

Our language is fundamental to our cultural identity. And many European countries worry artificial intelligence will erase those languages and the cultures that come with them. But could those fears really be code for falling behind in the AI race? POLITICO reporter Gian Volpicelli joins host Steven Overly to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 18, 202418 min

‘Godzilla vs. Kong: AI Edition’: Talking net neutrality with a former FCC chair

The Federal Communications Commission will vote next week to restore regulations that require internet service providers to treat websites equally, otherwise known as net neutrality. Tom Wheeler was the chair of the FCC the last time those rules were put in place. He joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to talk about how artificial intelligence gives new life to this old policy battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 17, 202419 min

The White House defends contentious foreign surveillance law

The future of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act now lies in the Senate, following a contentious path to reauthorization in the House last week. Behind the scenes, the Biden administration has been pressing both chambers to extend the law -- and successfully pushing back on some proposed reforms. On POLITICO Tech, National Security Council legal adviser Joshua Geltzer defends the need for government spy programs amid simmering global conflicts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Apr 16, 202418 min

This tax day, how AI is changing up the IRS

Today, we’re talking taxes. Stanford law professor Dan Ho has been working with the IRS to figure out how machine learning and artificial intelligence can improve the agency -- including a study he led last year that found evidence of racial bias in its audits. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks with Ho about using AI to root our human bias, and how the technology is changing up Tax Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 15, 202417 min

The controversy around FISA, a key foreign surveillance law, explained

The House is expected to vote on a key foreign surveillance law set to expire next week. The fight over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, has pit national security hawks who defend the government surveillance program against lawmakers who say it's been used to unlawfully spy on American citizens. Host Steven Overly unpacks the criticisms with Elizabeth Goitein, a former Capitol Hill attorney who now leads the Liberty and National Security Program at NYU’s Brennan Center for Jus...

Apr 12, 202415 min

‘Picture your MAGA auntie's Twitter account’: Why a Chinese disinformation group started imitating Americans

The Chinese disinformation network known as Spamouflage has never gotten much traction on social media. Then, a small number of accounts started pretending to be American. On POLITICO Tech, senior analyst Elise Thomas from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue explains why pro-Trump and anti-Biden tweets from a group with ties to the Chinese Communist Party may signal deeper concerns about 2024 election interference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 11, 202418 min

A skeptic's guide to the new data privacy bill

There’s a new data privacy bill floating around Capitol Hill this week -- backed by the chairs of two powerful committees. And at first glance, it seems to have a lot of potential. But POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and privacy reporter Alfred Ng discuss the sticking points that could cause the legislation to stall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 10, 202415 min

One critic's case for why artificial intelligence is actually dumb

Gary Marcus is a cognitive scientist and serial entrepreneur who is an AI critic, and not shy about it. He’s one of the tech experts pushing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others in Washington to pass sweeping and stringent legislation to rein in AI -- technology that he doesn’t actually think is very smart. Gary has written a piece for POLITICO magazine, out tomorrow, arguing what all should be included in a big AI bill. And he talked with Steven Overly to make his case. Learn more ab...

Apr 09, 202419 min

Millions of kids use Roblox. Now, it wants Washington’s attention.

If you haven’t heard of Roblox, your kids certainly have. It’s an online platform for games and other virtual experiences, and most of its users are under 17 years old. As Congress weighs kids’ online safety legislation, Roblox is dispatching its CEO and other executives to D.C. this week. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly caught up with Roblox policy chief Nicky Jackson Colaco to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 08, 202419 min

How the U.S. is becoming more like China on tech

The Biden administration is in the midst of its latest attempt at a diplomatic reset with China, its chief geopolitical rival on all things tech. Council on Foreign Relations President Mike Froman — who served as U.S. trade representative during President Barack Obama’s second term — joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to discuss the Biden administration’s protectionist economic policies, and why becoming “more like China” may be necessary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Apr 05, 202424 min

What Trump’s return would mean for trans-atlantic tech relations

U.S. and European officials will meet in Belgium today and tomorrow for the latest gathering of the Trade and Technology Council, a body meant to mend the trans-atlantic relationship following four years of President Donald Trump. But the TTC is now weighing its next act — and what it means if Trump returns to power. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and POLITICO tech correspondent Mark Scott discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 04, 202414 min

This organization could decide how AI is regulated in health care

AI is coming to health systems — in fact, it's already here. As it rolls out, the government is taking a light approach to regulation, issuing guidance, but no binding rules. The Coalition for Health AI is working to develop standards for vetting health care AI via assurance labs. Politico reporter Ruth Reader talks with host Steven Overly and then Dr. Brian Anderson, the CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), about how to create safeguards around these new technologies. Learn more about you...

Apr 03, 202417 min

What a U.S.-UK AI alliance really means

The U.S. and UK have inked a memorandum of understanding that will see the allies join forces on AI safety research and testing. But what will that mean in reality? On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sits down with UK tech secretary Michelle Donelan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 02, 202419 min

How surging tech demand will stress America’s power grid

Electricity demand in the United States is projected to skyrocket over the next decade, partly because of the rising power needs of data centers and electric vehicles. That poses big challenges for the power grid. Today, host Catherine Morehouse sits down with Rob Gramlich, founder and president of consulting firm Grid Strategies, to discuss whether the grid can handle this surge in power demand — and what happens if it can’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 01, 202419 min

The author of ‘Chip War’ on the state of the fight

Chris Miller wrote the definitive book on microchips. Now, the author of “Chip War” joins guest host Phelim Kine to break down the U.S. strategy for becoming a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, and the implications for the country’s ever-complicated relationship with China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 28, 202418 min

Connecticut is looking to be a first mover on AI regulation

The state level is really where the tech action is at right now. On today’s Politico Tech, Morning Tech author Mallory Culhane sits in for Steven Overly to talk with Connecticut State Senator James Maroney, who helped get the state’s data privacy law across the finish line in 2022, and who now has shifted gears to artificial intelligence. They discuss S.B. 2, a comprehensive tech bill, and Maroney’s hopes for Connecticut in AI regulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

Mar 27, 202416 min

Mozilla took on Big Web. Now, it’s taking on Big AI.

Tensions between large and small tech companies over the rules for artificial intelligence are already palpable. On POLITICO Tech, Linda Griffin from Mozilla tells host Steven Overly why Mozilla sees competition as key to minimizing the risks of AI -- and is looking to global regulators to level the playing field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 26, 202417 min

Chinese hackers and the Rubik’s Cube: One-on-one with CISA Director Jen Easterly

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA, is tasked with tackling two of Washington’s biggest and most politically fraught challenges: confronting Chinese hackers and securing U.S. elections. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Maggie Miller sits down with CISA Director Jen Easterly to discuss the agency’s plans for both this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 202424 min

My mom's Facebook got hacked. Here's what happened next

Social media hacking and the scams that come with it affect thousands of people each year -- including host Steven Overly’s mom. It can be a major inconvenience for those cut off from friends and loved ones, and a serious financial and emotional burden for those who lose money in the process. John Breyault from the National Consumers League joins POLITICO Tech to talk social media scams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Mar 22, 202420 min

Intel lobbied hard for chips money — and got a big payout

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will provide Intel with subsidies, grants and tax credits in exchange for building new manufacturing and research facilities in the U.S. Combined, Intel’s haul could be worth as much as $44.5 billion. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Brendan Bordelon explains how the company lobbied its way to a big payday, and why President Joe Biden sees the deal as a political winner on the campaign trail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Mar 21, 202415 min

Why states are losing the fight to protect voters from doxxing

The names and addresses of millions of Americans can be found online through voter registration records. And some states argue that’s a privacy concern as voters are targeted with doxxing and harassment. But their efforts to change public disclosure laws have garnered pushback from conservative election transparency advocates. POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng joins host Steven Overly to dissect the tensions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Mar 20, 202412 min

SEC chair Gensler on AI's threat to Wall Street: "I don't want everybody to drive off the cliff"

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler warns on today’s episode of POLITICO Tech that Wall Street’s headlong rush to embrace artificial intelligence could create new weaknesses in the U.S. financial system. The solution, Gensler says, requires Washington regulators to band together in a new way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 19, 202424 min

SCOTUS to tackle online disinformation today

Should the government be telling social media companies what misinformation to remove? That’s the central question in a major tech case being heard at the Supreme Court today. On POLITICO Tech, Nina Jankowicz from the Centre for Information Resilience delves into the chilling effect the lawsuit has had on efforts to combat online disinformation ahead of the 2024 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Mar 18, 202419 min

The AI doctor will see you now

Artificial intelligence has begun to transform health care. But how do you separate the promise from the hype? And will only the rich actually benefit? Host Steven Overly asked those questions at the POLITICO Live Heath Care Summit this week, including during a live interview with Dr. Andrew Trister from Google’s life sciences company, Verily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 15, 202419 min

What’s next in TikTok’s Washington drama

The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to force a sale, and perhaps eventually a ban, of the video sharing app TikTok. But many hurdles remain before that becomes a reality. And the drama surrounding the legislation reveals just how convoluted TikTok politics have become. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly breaks down what will likely happen next with national security lawyer and former Commerce Department official Nazak Nikakhtar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Mar 14, 202421 min
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