POLITICO Tech

The POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and microchips, we explore how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, global rivalries and industries that will matter tomorrow.

Tech News
Politics
Daily News
226
One year ago, Biden took a bite at China's chip...
It’s been a year since the Biden administration imposed trade restrictions on American companies selling microchips and equipment to China. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Steven Overly breaks down what loopholes still exist and how Washington might try to plug them with Gregory Allen from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
21 min
227
There’s an election ‘megacycle’ coming. The wor...
Next year will mark the first time the U.S., U.K. and EU each have major elections at the same time. That will be a big test for democracies already battered by disinformation. On today’s POLITICO Tech, reporter Mark Scott and Steven Overly explore this unique political moment and the consequences of how it plays out online.
16 min
228
Why PepsiCo is powering your snacks with AI
Using AI to improve Cheetos? That's something PepsiCo has experimented with. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Athina Kanioura, chief strategy and transformation officer for PepsiCo, tells Steven Overly that using AI to make employees faster and more efficient hasn’t led PepsiCo to replace human workers as many fear. And why the company has determined that in some jobs the technology is simply off limits.
20 min
229
Rep. Yvette Clarke’s plan to fix AI bias
As Congress eyes new rules for artificial intelligence, Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke argues there’s a fundamental element of the technology that should not overlook: the humans behind it. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Clarke tells Steven Overly that Congress faces a critical moment for addressing human bias in AI systems -- but it remains to be seen whether bills she’s re-introduced can gain traction this time around.
19 min
230
The EU’s AI guy has some advice for Congress
EU officials are holding negotiations over new artificial intelligence rules with hopes of having them in place by year’s end. On today’s POLITICO Tech, one of the leaders behind that effort, EU parliamentarian Dragos Tudorache, tells Steven Overly what advice he’s given U.S. lawmakers as they embark on their on regulatory process.
21 min
231
Biden’s tech adviser on the risks and rewards o...
The Biden administration is crafting an executive order to capture the good and minimize the bad from AI. And it’s working to get other countries aligned on AI and cyber risks. In a live taping of POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly gets an update on those efforts from Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging tech.
23 min
232
Sen. Mark Warner’s big AI idea is to think small
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has been through his share of tech battles on Capitol Hill — and seen lawmakers fail to implement legislation time and again. On today’s POLITICO Tech, he argues Congress needs to take a different approach to regulating artificial intelligence and even cracking down on Chinese tech. His pitch: Be less ambitious.
28 min
233
What a former FTC chair thinks about the Amazon...
Yesterday the Federal Trade Commission dropped its long-awaited case against Amazon. In a massive legal complaint, federal antitrust officials outlined exactly why they believe Amazon is a monopoly, and how it has used its market power to kneecap its competitors. Former FTC chair Bill Kovacic gives host Steven Overly his download on the case.
25 min
234
Here’s why writing global AI rules will be so hard
The U.N. General Assembly displayed just how focused world leaders are on artificial intelligence. The gathering also raised real questions about whether existing global institutions are equipped to handle it. On today’s POLITICO Tech, former Ambassador Karen Kornbluh breaks down obstacles to creating global AI rules and argues a new global body is part of the solution.
18 min
235
How the FTC is reinventing itself for the digit...
On the show today, Mohar Chatterjee talks with Sam Levine, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection and one of the key people on the front-lines of defining market practices for big tech.
18 min
236
Confessions of Congress's former tech crusader
Former Rep. David Cicilline formed an unlikely alliance with Republican Ken Buck in a failed bid to break up big tech companies. Though he has since left Congress, Cicilline’s distrust of the industry hasn’t diminished. On POLITICO Tech, he reflects on what he and Buck started, and the rising pressure on his former colleagues to curb tech’s power.
18 min
237
The Hugging Face case for open AI
Clem Delangue says open-source AI was vital to starting his company, Hugging Face. Now, he finds himself defending open AI models as Washington considers new regulations. On POLITICO Tech, Delangue explains why he views open-source AI as not only safe, but necessary to prevent big tech companies from gaining more market power.
18 min
238
Inside U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Silicon Va...
U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has a goal to make the U.K. become a tech hub on par with San Francisco. And he sees the country’s bench of artificial intelligence companies and researchers as key to helping it get there. Host Steven Overly talked with Hunt as he kicks off a multi-day visit to the West Coast… a charm offensive he hopes will draw U.S. firms closer to the U.K.
15 min
239
The EU's tech rules are here. But how strict wi...
The European Union has been ahead of most of the world when it comes to regulating the tech industry - but writing the rules is not the same as enforcing them. POLITICO’s Clothilde Goujard joins Steven Overly to discuss what’s at stake for companies and regulators alike as the EU’s much-anticipated laws come into effect.
17 min
240
How to confront the 'AI dilemma'
Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin have been pushing for changes to social media companies' business models for years. Now, they're doing the same with AI. On POLITICO Tech, the co-founders of the Center for Humane Technology tell Steven Overly why Washington will need to speed up if it hopes to effectively keep AI's risks in check.
25 min
241
How tech fits into Rep. Mike Gallagher’s China ...
What would war with China be like? Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) has put that question to defense and finance experts. Now, he says it would be “useful” to game out that scenario with tech companies as well. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Gallagher argues that imposing tougher restrictions on business with China’s tech sector today would make a difference should conflict ever become reality.
22 min
242
AI can now create art and write books. Copyrigh...
The number of creators seeking legal protections for AI-generated work is rising — and that’s vexing copyright officials. Exactly how much human creativity must art and literature contain under the law? On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly takes that question and others to Shira Perlmutter, the director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
18 min
243
What Microsoft’s Brad Smith wants from Schumer ...
Microsoft President Brad Smith is among the tech leaders joining the Senate's big AI forum today. On POLITICO Tech, Smith tells Steven Overly what new AI rules Microsoft is calling on Congress to impose -- and why he thinks others in the regulation-averse tech industry should get on board.
23 min
244
Google’s legal saga is only just beginning
The largest tech antitrust case in nearly 25 years begins today as the Justice Department takes on Google over the dominance of its search business. POLITICO’s Josh Sisco joins today’s episode to tell Steven Overly what to expect from the multi-month saga and why it’s just the start of a longer legal war with Big Tech.
12 min
245
The House is back — what's on its tech agenda?
On today's episode, POLITICO reporters Rebecca Kern and Brendan Bordelon join Steven Overly to break down what to expect from the House this fall on AI, quantum computing, online safety, TikTok and more.
18 min
246
Labor unions see an upside to AI — under the ri...
Workers are increasingly anxious about how companies use artificial intelligence -- just look at the actors and writers striking in Hollywood. But the labor movement isn’t actually against the emerging technology. On POLITICO Tech, the AFL-CIO’s Amanda Ballantyne tells Steven Overly that policies just need to be in place to ensure AI isn’t against workers.
17 min
247
Rep. Ted Lieu on what he wants to see from Cong...
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Ca) is one of the few members of Congress with a background in computer science. But lawmakers don’t need tech expertise to regulate AI, he tells Steven Overly.
21 min
248
This tech exec has a plan to rein in AI
Mustafa Suleyman, the chief executive of Inflection AI and a co-founder of Google DeepMind, argues there are 10 steps that governments and companies should take to mitigate the most destructive threats posed by artificial intelligence.
19 min
249
The Senate's back — here's what's on its tech a...
There will be a lot of chatter about artificial intelligence in the Senate this fall. But will that lead to any action? On today's episode, POLITICO reporters Rebecca Kern and Brendan Bordelon join Steven Overly to break down what to expect from the Senate this fall on AI, online safety, TikTok and more.
16 min
250
'I thought somebody had shown me an alien' - Co...
Simon Rich did not believe artificial intelligence could ever take his job as a screenwriter, humorist and novelist. Then, a friend at OpenAI showed him an AI model that stunned him — one that was more creative and more problematic than ChatGPT. On POLITICO Tech, Rich tells Steven Overly why he now feels a need to alert others about the possible future AI will wrought.
22 min