The AI Policy Podcast

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 i...

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).

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).

 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)....

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 rea...

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).

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:...

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).

In this episode, we discuss China's focus on AI adoption (00:58), the underlying factors driving investor enthusiasm (14:51), and the national security implications of China's booming AI industry (31:47).

In this episode, we are joined by Marietje Schaake, former Member of the European Parliament, to unpack the EU AI Act Code of Practice. Schaake served as Chair of the Working Group on Internal Risk Management and Governance of General-Purpose AI Providers for the Code of Practice, with a focus on AI model safety and security. We discuss the development and drafting of the EU AI Act and Code of Pra...

In this episode, we unpack the Trump administration’s $8.9 billion deal to acquire a 9.9% stake in Intel, examining the underlying logic, financial terms, and political reactions from across the spectrum (00:33). We then cover Nvidia’s sudden halt in H20 chip production for China, its plans for a Blackwell alternative, and what Beijing’s self-sufficiency push means for the AI race (28:18).

In this episode, we'll break down the Trump administration’s new licensing agreement with Nvidia and AMD for semiconductor exports and what this development means for U.S. national security (00:35), explore concerns about an AI-driven economic bubble (22:17), and unpack recent advancements for the federal government's adoption AI after the U.S. General Services Administration approved OpenAI, Anth...

In this episode, we cover the renewed debate over U.S. approval of Nvidia’s H20 chip exports to China, from political pushback in Washington to reactions in Beijing (00:30). We also examine how the AI industry is responding to the EU AI Code of Practice and the reasons some companies are choosing not to sign (44:53). Read Gregory C. Allen's report on DeepSeek here. Watch or listen to our event wit...

On July 30, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for a discussion breaking down the recently released AI Action Plan and discuss the Trump administration’s vision for U.S. AI leadership and innovation amid strategic competition with China.  As the thirteenth Director of the White House OSTP, Mr. Kratsios oversees t...

In this special episode, we honor the life of Andrew Schwartz, Chief Communications Officer at CSIS and beloved  co-host of this podcast. Andrew was a mentor, a friend, and a tireless champion of the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center’s work. His humor, personal stories, and passion shaped this show and left a lasting impact on all of us. Our team, our community, and CSIS will miss him deeply.

In this episode, we are joined by Kyle Chan, postdoctoral researcher at Princeton’s Sociology Department and adjunct researcher at the RAND Corporation, to explore China's approach to AI industrial policy. We discuss the fundamentals of industrial policy and how it operates in China's digital technology sector (4:15), the evolution of China's AI industrial policy toolkit and its impact on companie...

In this episode, we cover the Senate's vote to remove the moratorium on state AI laws from the reconciliation bill (00:38), the latest AI copyright court rulings involving Meta and Anthropic (7:38), key takeaways from the House Select Committee on China's AI hearing (20:55), and the latest developments surrounding DeepSeek, including export control impacts and military ties (27:45).

In this episode, we’re joined by Miles Brundage, independent AI policy researcher and former Head of Policy Research at OpenAI, and Chris Rohlf, Security Engineer at Meta and cybersecurity expert. We cover the fundamentals of cybersecurity today (9:20), whether AI is tipping the offense-defense balance (21:00), the critical challenge of securing AI model weights (34:55), the debate over “AI securi...

In this episode, we discuss the U.S. AI Safety Institute's rebrand to the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (00:37), BIS Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler's testimony on semiconductor export controls (10:36), and Meta's new AI superintelligence lab and accompanying $15 billion investment in Scale AI (22:26). 

On June 9, 2025,  the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Ryan Tseng, Co-Founder and President of Shield AI, a company building AI-powered software to enable autonomous capabilities for defense and national security.    Mr. Tseng leads strategic partnerships with defense and policy leaders across the United States and internationally. Under his leadership, Shield AI secured major contracts with the U.S...

In this episode, we discuss House Republicans’ proposed moratorium on state and local AI laws (00:57), break down AI-related appropriations across the executive branch (18:54), and unpack the safety issues and safeguards of Anthropic's newest model, Claude Opus 4 (26:51). Correction: In this episode, a quote was incorrectly attributed directly to Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.). The statement—“Should the...

In this episode, we discuss Princeton researcher Kyle Chan's op-ed in the New York Times on China's industrial policy for AI and advanced technologies (0:35), what the Bureau of Industry and Security's new controls on Huawei's Ascend chips mean for China's AI ecosystem (10:09), and our biggest takeaways from President Trump's visit to the Middle East (19:07).

In this episode, we discuss the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the AI Diffusion Framework (1:34), the message of top AI executives in their recent Senate testimony (20:03), what AI adoption could mean for the IRS (35:15), the U.S. Copyright Office’s latest report on generative AI training (44:44), and what AI policy might look like in the new papacy (49:24).

In this episode, we discuss what the Trump administration's Fiscal Year 2026 budget request means for federal AI spending, what might happen to the AI Diffusion Framework before its May 15 implementation deadline, and what the Chinese Communist Party Politburo's Study Session on AI indicates about China's AI ambitions. 

On May 1, 2025, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Alexandr Wang, Founder and CEO of Scale AI, a company accelerating AI development by delivering expert-level data and technology solutions to leading AI labs, multinational enterprises, and governments. He shared his insights on key issues shaping the future of AI policy, such as U.S.-China AI competition, international AI governance, and the new...