Fault Lines

In this episode, join Lester and Will Hurd, candidate for the Republican nomination for President, former U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd District, and former Board Member for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to discuss what Congress has done in the wake of AI and what that means for Americans. How have the private and public sectors reacted to AI? How do we control AI? How should the U.S....

In this episode, join Jessica and Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and former Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, to discuss the implications of AI in warfare and what that means for U.S. national security in the near future. What could happen if the U.S. falls behind in tech competition? How will AI...

In this episode, Morgan and Dr. Gary Marcus, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU, CEO of Geometric Intelligence, and the Founder and Executive Chairman of Robust AI, discuss how Dr. Marcus got involved in artificial intelligence from a young age and the multifaceted risks and opportunities AI poses. How does AI relate to natural intelligence and cognitive science? Where...

In this episode, Lester and Dr. Charles Clancy, SVP and Chief Futurist of MITRE, as well as head of MITRE Labs, discuss the ideal regulatory framework for AI, what Congress should be doing to enforce AI regulation, and how AI is being used to enhance cybersecurity capabilities. How can we balance the regulatory side and innovation side of AI at both the federal level and state level? What has been...

In this episode, Jamil and Michèle Flournoy discuss how the Department of Defense should weigh the threats and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence, what the future of autonomous weapons looks like, and how we can win the tech race with China. Is AI a net threat or a net opportunity for the U.S.? Is the Department of Defense AI ready? Should we be more concerned about China or kil...

Today, on Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution , Jess speaks with NSC Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, Ms. Anne Neuberger. In this episode, Jess and Ms. Neuberger outline the Biden Administration’s AI efforts, including the White House's recent announcement of a  pledge made by leading private sector companies on mitigating AI's risks and an up...

Today, on Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution , Morgan Viña speaks with Sue Gordon, the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. In this episode, Morgan and Ms. Gordon help break down how AI impacts U.S. interests and the current capabilities of AI in the defense sector. What does the future of the IC and the defense sector look like with the emergence of AI? What...

Today, for our special summer series, Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution , Les is joined by deepfake technology expert Professor Hany Farid, who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. Les and Professor Farid discuss the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence images, the possibility of multilateral regulation, and the need for social media companies to work coopera...

Today on, Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution , is part II of Jamil's conversation with Dr. Stephen Wolfram, founder of Mathematica and Wolfram Research and all-around AI expert on the complexities of AI and potential regulation. Dr. Wolfram talks about AI free will, the moral complexities of AI’s decision making, and how AI can streamline supply chains. Should we be worried about A...

Today, to kick off our special summer series, Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution , Jamil is joined by Dr. Stephen Wolfram, founder of Mathematica and Wolfram Research, creator of the Wolfram Language, author of, What is Chat GPT Doing… and Why Does it Work? , and all-around AI expert to dissect the complexities of artificial intelligence. Dr. Wolfram explains the origins of AI, how...

Today, Morgan, Jamil, and Les discuss China’s growing influence in Latin America after Guatemalan Presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo advocated for expanding relations with China. This statement, combined with Brazil considering substituting the dollar for the yen and Honduras revoking its recognition of Taiwan, shows that states in the global south are trending away from the US What shou...

Episode 237: All Wagner, All the Time Today, Morgan, Jamil, and Les discuss the future of the Wagner group in Africa after Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, attempted a coup in Russia over the weekend. Libya, Sudan, Mali, and the Central African Republic, all rely on Wagner forces to fight back insurgents. With few alternatives to protect governments in these countries, an absence of the Wag...

Today, Les, Jamil, and Morgan discuss the Wagner Group’s uprising in Russia over the weekend. Wagner group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ordered the mercenary troops to march towards Moscow on Saturday before Belarusian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko stepped in to negotiate a diplomatic end to the mutiny.  Who could succeed Putin if he were to fall from power? How should Ukraine leverage this mome...

Today, Jamil, Jess, and Morgan discuss Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and Thursday night’s state dinner at the White House. President Biden and PM Modi reached several strategic cooperation and defense agreements during PM Modi’s visit. Both India and the U.S. share China as a pressing security threat, so a strong partnership in the region could be indispensable to both moving forward...

Today, Jess, Jamil, Les, and our now official co-host Morgan Viña discuss Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s long-awaited meeting with President Xi in China. Secretary Blinken’s visit comes at a time when the U.S.-China relationship has been strained due to China’s support of Russia, the deployment of spy balloons, and repeated provocations in the South China Sea. What score does the Fault Lines...

Today, Jamil, Les, and Morgan, discuss China’s strategic cooperation agreement with the Palestinian Authority. China has forged a number of strategic relationships in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, and now, the Palestinian Authority. In light of China’s strategic efforts in the this region, some worry, the U.S. is too focused on China, leaving behind its leadership role in...

Today, Jess, Les, and Morgan, debate the Biden Administration’s decision to rejoin UNESCO. There have been concerns for a decade over mismanagement. This prompted the U.S. to leave under the Trump Administration. The Biden Administration recently announced that the U.S. will return to UNESCO as well as pay $600 million in back dues. Is the $600 million of taxpayer dollars in back dues worth the be...

Today, for a Fault Lines first, there are four incredible hosts! Les, Jess, Jamil, and Morgan discuss the Biden Administration’s handling of the Chinese spy base in Cuba. While the Administration initially denied the reports from the Wall Street Journal it has now come full circle to acknowledge the existence of Chinese spy bases around the world. What letter grade should the Biden Administration...

Today, Jess, Les, and special guest host and NSI Senior Fellow, Morgan Vina, discuss the shocking merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which is backed by a Saudi wealth fund. The PGA tour has recently faced backlash, including a possible DOJ antitrust investigation, following this deal. Some argue this merger is a key step in Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2023 plan to create a “vibrant society...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss Air Force veteran and former member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, David Grusch’s claims of the US government secretly recovering alien spacecraft accompanied by “pilot” remains for decades as part of a top-secret UFO retrieval program. What does the Fault Lines crew think of the possibility of UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena)? How credib...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss rising tensions between the U.S. and China due to recent encounters between Chinese and US aircraft over the SCS, and in the Taiwan Strait between a US destroyer and a Canadian ship that were intercepted by a Chinese destroyer. Furthermore, at the Shangri-La dialogue over the weekend in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shook hands with Chinese Defe...

Today, Jamil, Jess, and NSI Senior Fellow Andy Keiser discuss the dangers and benefits of AI in a national security context and questions whether government regulation is needed. This conversation was prompted after a joint statement where AI experts concluded that “artificial intelligence may lead to human extinction and reducing the risks associated with the technology should be a global priorit...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss Uganda’s passage of one of the world's toughest anti-gay laws that calls for life imprisonment for anyone convicted of homosexuality. The legislation received widespread condemnation from many Western governments and human rights activists. How should the international community push back? Should the US cut off aid to Uganda? If not, what can be done to inf...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss this week’s announcement by Microsoft and the U.S. government that they detected a Chinese cyber hack by hacking group, Volt Typhoon, directed at critical infrastructure systems, including telecommunications gear, located in Guam and elsewhere in the United States.  Is China hacking Guam a prelude to a Taiwan invasion? Should the U.S. ramp up its response a...

Episode 224: Let’s Make A Deal: Saudi Edition Today, Les, Jess, and special guest host and NSI Senior Fellow, Morgan Vina, discuss NSA Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince MBS last week to discuss, among many things, about the possibility of Saudi-Israeli normalization. MBS does not want to take any more incremental steps toward warming relations with Israel, but instead, wants to work...