Episode description

Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. But despite the hype around personalized avatars or podcast language translation, artificial intelligence is not only impacting the creative spheres; in fact it’s hard to find an industry that isn’t being touched by this technology – and defense of our country is far from excluded.

In this episode, originally recorded in the heart of Washington DC this January during a16z’s American Dynamism Summit, a16z General Partner Martin Casado and a16z enterprise editor, Derrick Harris are joined by the first-ever CTO of the CIA, Nand Mulchandani.

In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the evolving relationship between analysts and AI, how governments can keep up with this exponential technology, and finally, how it’s impacting both offense and defense.  

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, national security, and policy-making in the age of artificial intelligence. Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations from a16z's second annual American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC.

Topics Covered:

00:00 - Intelligence in the Age of AI

02:28 - Rethinking Jobs and AI's Asymmetric Power

05:00 - The History of AI in the Intelligence Community

07:00 - Operational Utilization of AI

10:40 - Analytic Capabilities and Uncertainty

12:56 - AI's 'Hallucination' Concerns

16:37 - Analyst Skill Sets and AI Tools

26:29 - Supply Chain and Open Source

31:35 - Public-Private Partnerships

41:33 - Government as a Customer and Partner in Tech

42:43 - Policy, Technology, and Regulation

Resources

Learn more about AD Summit 2024: www.a16z.com/adsummit

Watch all of the stage talks at AD Summit 2024: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4u6XbiXf5pAKmk1AeZ9964KGScf4lHM

Read the CIA’s announcement around the new CTO role: https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/cia-names-first-chief-technology-officer/

Find Nand Mulchandani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nandmulchandani

Find Martin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martin_casado

Find Derrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/derrickharris

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.