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PODCAST

The AI Policy Podcast

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Join CSIS’s Gregory C. Allen, senior adviser with the Wadhwani AI Centers, on a deep dive into the world of AI policy. Every two weeks, tune in for insightful discussions regarding AI policy regulation, innovation, national security, and geopolitics. The AI Policy Podcast is by the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at CSIS, a bipartisan think-tank in Washington, D.C.

government tech news

All Episodes

60:07

Inside Anthropic's Standoff with the Pentagon and...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/02/25

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

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50:50

Live from New Delhi: Our Takeaways from the India AI...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/02/20

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).

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93:54

Inside The Second International AI Safety Report with...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/02/10

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

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70:00

Jennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government for the AI Era

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/02/05

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

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36:22

The Indian and French Ambassadors to the US on Global...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/01/30

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.

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59:36

The Future of Nvidia’s H200 in China and the...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/01/22

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.

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43:50

xAI's Latest Controversy and New York's New AI Safety...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2026/01/09

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).

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54:32

Previewing India's AI Impact Summit with MeitY...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/12/29

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

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88:28

China's EUV Manhattan Project and Export Control...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/12/22

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

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56:33

Trump Signs EO Targeting State AI Laws While Meta...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/12/18

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).

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52:55

White House Greenlights H200 Exports, DOE Unveils...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/12/09

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

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54:26

Trump’s Draft AI Preemption Order, EU AI Act Delays,...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/11/21

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"

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64:29

What Selling Nvidia's Blackwell Chips to China Would...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/11/05

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.

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112:20

How to Build a Career in AI Policy

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/30

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).

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61:03

Sora 2 and the Deepfake Boom

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/23

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).

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58:34

Congressman Jay Obernolte on the Future of U.S. AI...

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/21

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

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67:10

The Impact of AI on Labor with Harry Holzer

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/17

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

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37:22

What California's SB 53 Means for AI Safety

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/09

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).

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85:49

The Energy Cost of AI with Joseph Majkut

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/10/02

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

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57:47

Is China Done with Nvidia’s AI Chips?

The AI Policy Podcast ·

2025/09/24

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).

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85 results

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