POLITICO Tech

The Defense Department shelled out more than $400 billion in contracts last fiscal year, but only a sliver of that money went to defense startups. Now, those companies hoping the incoming Trump administration will funnel more federal dollars their way, especially with Elon Musk advocating on their behalf. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Christine Mui joins host Steven Overly to explain what defense sta...

After every major election, the losing side faces a dreaded question: Where did it all go wrong? But journalist Steven Waldman, the co-founder and president of Rebuild Local News and Report for America, argues that pollsters and reporters are overlooking a key factor when debating that question after last week’s outcome. On POLITICO Tech, Waldman explains why the place where voters get their news...

Congress returns to Washington tomorrow with the results of last week’s election hanging overhead. But the weeks ahead could be a busy time for tech. Congress has let legislation languish on issues like artificial intelligence, spectrum authorization and kids online safety — and some lawmakers are now eager to get them done. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly and reporter Brendan Bordelon break...

Silicon Valley executives lauded President-elect Donald Trump after his big win Tuesday night. And while buttering up the president-to-be is typical, the flattery may be especially strategic in Trump’s case, argues Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. On POLITICO Tech, Kovacevich tells host Steven Overly how he expects companies to handle Trump’s “personal grievance agenda” this time around, a...

Former President Donald Trump wasn’t the only big winner on Tuesday night. Elon Musk made a big bet on Trump during the election, becoming his billionaire benefactor and social media hype man. And now that Trump is returning to the White House, Musk stands to cash in both politically and financially. On POLITICO Tech, national political correspondent Meridith McGraw and Digital Future Daily author...

Donald Trump will be the next president. But so much in tech policy depends on which party controls Congress. And last night, Republicans also took control of the Senate. That has big implications for policy debates over issues like artificial intelligence, data privacy and cryptocurrency. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and reporter Brendan Bordelon discuss what this new balance of power in Wash...

There will be many races to watch as election results pour in tonight. That includes the competition among news outlets to one-up each other with splashy new technology. After all, it’s an Election Night tradition. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly chats with CNN senior product director Manav Tanneeru about the network’s “Magic Wall” app, and then Aspen Digital executive director Vivian Schiller ex...

Election Day is nearly upon us. (Finally!) But any uncertainty over the outcome is sure to turbocharge disinformation from foreign adversaries and fellow Americans alike. Ginny Badanes leads the Democracy Forward program at Microsoft, which aims to defend campaigns and election administrators against operations from Russia, China and Iran. On POLITICO Tech, Badanes tells host Steven Overly how Mic...

The Federal Election Commission faced a big question this election cycle: Should political candidates be banned from making AI-generated deepfakes of their opponents? POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly attended the GovAI Summit this week for a live interview with Democratic FEC Commissioner Shana Broussard to discuss the agency’s recent decision, as well as AI disclaimers, social media influencers a...

The nature of war is changing. $10 million tanks in Ukraine are being disabled by $10,000 drones — and many cutting-edge battlefield technologies today come from private companies rather than governments. Few people know more about harnessing commercial tech for the military than Raj Shah, who led the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit before founding his own venture capital firm. Now he’s on the...

Data firms are hoovering up all sorts of information about us, and then selling it to political campaigns and advocacy groups. But one of these data collectors is using that information to extrapolate whether voters might believe QAnon conspiracies or support Jan. 6 insurrectionists — raising concerns about more than just privacy. POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng joins host Steven Overly to talk about...

Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaways for swing-state voters have drawn scrutiny from federal and state law enforcement, though Musk denies the money is intended to drive voter registration. On POLITICO Tech, David Becker from the Center for Election Innovation and Research tells host Steven Overly why he thinks Musk is flouting the law, and how his political engagement both fits the mold and breaks ne...

Election Day is (inescapably) just over a week away. But in its waning months, the Biden administration is still cranking out policy. In particular, President Biden put out guidelines late last week detailing how national security agencies should handle artificial intelligence, and stay ahead of China in the global race for the AI future. On today's show, POLITICO tech reporter Mohar Chatterjee br...

The combination of rising energy demands and fears about climate change is fueling fresh interest in nuclear energy, and the movement is getting a boost from Big Tech. But the return to nuclear power is not just a U.S. phenomenon. In Italy, a new generation of climate conscious young people is shaking up the debate — spurred in part by an unlikely social media influencer. On POLITICO Tech, climate...

When you apply for a job, AI is often part of the process whether you know it or not. With technology making more employment decisions, there are real questions about discrimination happening faster and more frequently, and who is to blame when it does. Keith Sonderling, who spent the past four years as a Republican commissioner from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tells host Steven Ov...

The term “sovereign AI” gets thrown around a lot in tech circles these days, but there’s no one set definition for what it means. Ultimately, it comes down to a race among countries to build and own the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence models. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly interviews Tech Policy Solutions founder Pablo Chavez at the Meridian Summit in Washington, D.C., about th...

A House task force is expected to roll out a bipartisan wish list for AI regulations by year’s end and Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) is one of the lawmakers shaping that agenda. A physician prior to entering Congress, Bera is particularly focused on questions that AI raises about the future of health care. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly sat down with Bera on the sidelines of the Meridian Summit to di...

Arizona was an epicenter for election disinformation four years ago. A hotbed for false claims about election rigging and for politicians who still deny the results. It’s Adrian Fontes’ job to combat that — he’s Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state. Fontes joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to talk about how his office is preparing for Election Day, and why he thinks the long battle against...

Greg Epstein is the humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT, and he has spent the past several years examining the rising power of tech through the lens of faith. An atheist, Epstein came away with the belief that tech is now “the world’s most powerful religion” — and all of us, its unwitting congregants. On POLITICO Tech, Epstein joins host Steven Overly to talk about his new book, “Tech Agnostic,”...

Government internet programs aren’t usually at the center of political attacks. But the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, has become a Republican target amid Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign for president. On POLITICO Tech, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, joins host Steven Overly...

The crypto industry is spending millions of dollars this election cycle in a bid to reshape Congress, including pivotal Senate races in Ohio, Michigan and Arizona. But ads the industry is funding focus on issues like the economy, immigration and reproductive freedom — with no mention of crypto. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Jessica Piper joins host Steven Overly to explain why this little industry is...

Over the last month, the Southeastern United States has been hammered by back-to-back hurricanes. But weather aside, experts are pointing to another big storm – the swirl of storm and recovery-related disinformation online. One of the experts tracking all this is Danielle Lee Tomson, who works as the research manager at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. She talked to ho...

Tech billionaire Elon Musk wants to leverage his starpower to put former President Donald Trump back in the White House. But will Musk’s deep pockets and large online following make a difference in the swing states where Trump needs him most? POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly sits down with national political reporter Alex Isenstadt and Digital Future Daily author Derek Robertson to discuss Musk’s...

A recent experiment involving two fake political ads tested voter reactions to seeing AI disclaimers — with surprising results. The study’s lead researcher Scott Babwah Brennen, the director of the Center on Technology Policy at NYU, joins Steven Overly to break down the findings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence may not be as smart as humans — at least not yet — but the technology is progressing faster than Aidan Gomez ever imagined. Now, the Cohere CEO says the trick is convincing people and companies to embrace it. On POLITICO Tech, Gomez sits down with host Steven Overly to talk about what that will take and how fast it can happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...