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
151
Millions of kids use Roblox. Now, it wants Wash...
If you haven’t heard of Roblox, your kids certainly have. It’s an online platform for games and other virtual experiences, and most of its users are under 17 years old. As Congress weighs kids’ online safety legislation, Roblox is dispatching its CEO and other executives to D.C. this week. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly caught up with Roblox policy chief Nicky Jackson Colaco to discuss.
18 min
152
How the U.S. is becoming more like China on tech
The Biden administration is in the midst of its latest attempt at a diplomatic reset with China, its chief geopolitical rival on all things tech. Council on Foreign Relations President Mike Froman — who served as U.S. trade representative during President Barack Obama’s second term — joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to discuss the Biden administration’s protectionist economic policies, and why becoming “more like China” may be necessary.
23 min
153
What Trump’s return would mean for trans-atlant...
U.S. and European officials will meet in Belgium today and tomorrow for the latest gathering of the Trade and Technology Council, a body meant to mend the trans-atlantic relationship following four years of President Donald Trump. But the TTC is now weighing its next act — and what it means if Trump returns to power. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and POLITICO tech correspondent Mark Scott discuss.
13 min
154
This organization could decide how AI is regula...
AI is coming to health systems — in fact, it's already here. As it rolls out, the government is taking a light approach to regulation, issuing guidance, but no binding rules. The Coalition for Health AI is working to develop standards for vetting health care AI via assurance labs. Politico reporter Ruth Reader talks with host Steven Overly and then Dr. Brian Anderson, the CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), about how to create safeguards around these new technologies.
17 min
155
What a U.S.-UK AI alliance really means
The U.S. and UK have inked a memorandum of understanding that will see the allies join forces on AI safety research and testing. But what will that mean in reality? On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sits down with UK tech secretary Michelle Donelan.
18 min
156
How surging tech demand will stress America’s p...
Electricity demand in the United States is projected to skyrocket over the next decade, partly because of the rising power needs of data centers and electric vehicles. That poses big challenges for the power grid. Today, host Catherine Morehouse sits down with Rob Gramlich, founder and president of consulting firm Grid Strategies, to discuss whether the grid can handle this surge in power demand — and what happens if it can’t.
18 min
157
The author of 'Broad Band' on what you didn't k...
Claire Evans, the author of "Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet," joins guest host and Deputy Tech Editor Daniella Cheslow to talk about frequently overlooked female tech pioneers.
17 min
158
The author of ‘Chip War’ on the state of the fight
Chris Miller wrote the definitive book on microchips. Now, the author of “Chip War” joins guest host Phelim Kine to break down the U.S. strategy for becoming a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, and the implications for the country’s ever-complicated relationship with China.
17 min
159
Connecticut is looking to be a first mover on A...
The state level is really where the tech action is at right now. On today’s Politico Tech, Morning Tech author Mallory Culhane sits in for Steven Overly to talk with Connecticut State Senator James Maroney, who helped get the state’s data privacy law across the finish line in 2022, and who now has shifted gears to artificial intelligence. They discuss S.B. 2, a comprehensive tech bill, and Maroney’s hopes for Connecticut in AI regulation.
16 min
160
Mozilla took on Big Web. Now, it’s taking on Bi...
Tensions between large and small tech companies over the rules for artificial intelligence are already palpable. On POLITICO Tech, Linda Griffin from Mozilla tells host Steven Overly why Mozilla sees competition as key to minimizing the risks of AI -- and is looking to global regulators to level the playing field.
17 min
161
Chinese hackers and the Rubik’s Cube: One-on-on...
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA, is tasked with tackling two of Washington’s biggest and most politically fraught challenges: confronting Chinese hackers and securing U.S. elections. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Maggie Miller sits down with CISA Director Jen Easterly to discuss the agency’s plans for both this year.
24 min
162
My mom's Facebook got hacked. Here's what happe...
Social media hacking and the scams that come with it affect thousands of people each year -- including host Steven Overly’s mom. It can be a major inconvenience for those cut off from friends and loved ones, and a serious financial and emotional burden for those who lose money in the process. John Breyault from the National Consumers League joins POLITICO Tech to talk social media scams.
19 min
163
Intel lobbied hard for chips money — and got a ...
The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will provide Intel with subsidies, grants and tax credits in exchange for building new manufacturing and research facilities in the U.S. Combined, Intel’s haul could be worth as much as $44.5 billion. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Brendan Bordelon explains how the company lobbied its way to a big payday, and why President Joe Biden sees the deal as a political winner on the campaign trail.
15 min
164
Why states are losing the fight to protect vote...
The names and addresses of millions of Americans can be found online through voter registration records. And some states argue that’s a privacy concern as voters are targeted with doxxing and harassment. But their efforts to change public disclosure laws have garnered pushback from conservative election transparency advocates. POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng joins host Steven Overly to dissect the tensions.
11 min
165
SEC chair Gensler on AI's threat to Wall Street...
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler warns on today’s episode of POLITICO Tech that Wall Street’s headlong rush to embrace artificial intelligence could create new weaknesses in the U.S. financial system. The solution, Gensler says, requires Washington regulators to band together in a new way.
24 min
166
SCOTUS to tackle online disinformation today
Should the government be telling social media companies what misinformation to remove? That’s the central question in a major tech case being heard at the Supreme Court today. On POLITICO Tech, Nina Jankowicz from the Centre for Information Resilience delves into the chilling effect the lawsuit has had on efforts to combat online disinformation ahead of the 2024 election.
19 min
167
The AI doctor will see you now
Artificial intelligence has begun to transform health care. But how do you separate the promise from the hype? And will only the rich actually benefit? Host Steven Overly asked those questions at the POLITICO Live Heath Care Summit this week, including during a live interview with Dr. Andrew Trister from Google’s life sciences company, Verily.
18 min
168
What’s next in TikTok’s Washington drama
The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to force a sale, and perhaps eventually a ban, of the video sharing app TikTok. But many hurdles remain before that becomes a reality. And the drama surrounding the legislation reveals just how convoluted TikTok politics have become. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly breaks down what will likely happen next with national security lawyer and former Commerce Department official Nazak Nikakhtar.
21 min
169
Why the U.S. Army is recruiting at South By Sou...
South By Southwest took over Austin. The annual tech and entertainment festival attracts an eccentric crowd, which this year includes a strong contingent of Washington policymakers and U.S. defense officials. Digital Future Daily author Derek Robertson joins POLITICO Tech from Texas to explain how AI and politics have made a splash at the gathering.
17 min
170
A new political playbook for countering disinfo...
The rise in online disinformation has forced political campaigns to develop a new playbook. Journalist Sasha Issenberg tackles that subject in his new book, “The Lie Detectives.” He joins POLITICO Tech to break down lessons from the front lines of the 2020 election and how campaigns are applying them this time around.
15 min
171
Put down your pencil. The SAT has officially go...
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, has long been a rite of passage for students applying to college in the U.S. Now, the test has undergone a digital transformation that became official over the weekend. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks through the technological challenges posed by an electronic test and how its administrator has tried to overcome them with the College Board’s Priscilla Rodriguez.
17 min
172
Why AI could be the death and rebirth of high s...
Generative artificial intelligence is transforming the way students learn to read and write. To understand how, POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly called up California high school teacher Daniel Herman. Herman’s students are using AI today -- and he believes the technology will fundamentally change English class as we know it.
17 min
173
What tech to put on your State of the Union bin...
President Joe Biden will deliver the State of the Union address tonight. And while tech probably won’t dominate the speech, Biden could mention issues like AI, microchips and competition with China. MIT fellow R. David Edelman contributed to State of the Union speeches during his time as a tech adviser to President Barack Obama. On POLITICO Tech, Edelman tells host Steven Overly what goes into the big address and what Biden might say.
18 min
174
The AI behind Israel’s strikes on Gaza
Israel is using artificial intelligence to identify strike targets in Gaza as it goes after Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks. Critics are now pressing for details on the technology as the death toll surpasses 30,000 Palestinians. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Joseph Gedeon joins host Steven Overly to explain how AI is being used today and how defense officials expect it to remain a fixture of conflicts to come.
15 min
175
What a 2024 campaign looks like online
It’s Super Tuesday — and President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to be the big winners. But the digital campaign is not exactly a 2020 rematch. On POLITICO Tech, Republican digital strategist Eric Wilson dives into how the 2024 cycle looks different online and who seems to be coming out ahead with host Steven Overly.
19 min