The Decoded Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Bremmer: How to keep AI from breaking up the globe Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

There’s growing concern among global leaders that artificial intelligence will be controlled only by the wealthiest nations — the same nations that control most of the technology today. Eurasia Group founder and president Ian Bremmer serves on the UN’s AI advisory body and co-authored a report outlining ideas for making AI more equitable. On POLITICO Tech, Bremmer tells host Steven Overly what he thinks a new international AI order should look like and why it’s key to addressing one of the biggest geopolitical risks today.

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Google makes its AI case to the UN Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

The UN General Assembly kicks off this weekend and world leaders are expected to have tech top of mind. Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be there, making a rare, high-profile speech where he’s expected to urge world leaders to work together. Ahead of his address, POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly talked with Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy, about Google’s AI message to the world, the regulations it can live with and whether its antitrust trials are hampering its AI ambitions.

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The election's coming up — but deepfake AI legislation isn't Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

POLITICO held its AI and Tech Summit earlier this week, where host Steven Overly sat down with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. On today’s episode, we air that conversation. Klobuchar is one of the Senate’s leading Democratic voices warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence this election cycle; and as Senate Rules Committee chair, she introduced legislation that would ban AI deepfakes of candidates and require disclaimers for political ads made with AI. But with the election now weeks away, those rules still aren’t on the books — and it’s not likely there will be any movement before election day.

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Obernolte: Sorry, California. DC will set the AI agenda. Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) is helping set the House’s artificial intelligence agenda as co-chair of a bipartisan task force in the House. That includes more than a dozen AI-related bills he thinks the lower chamber can pass this year. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sat down with Obernolte at POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit this week for a live taping of the podcast.

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Ready to vote? There could be an app for that. Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

Bradley Tusk started his career in government before making big bucks in tech and venture capital. He’s now pouring millions of dollars into building and testing technology that would allow people to cast votes from a smartphone. On POLITICO Tech, Tusk joins host Steven Overly to discuss his new book, “Vote With Your Phone,” and lay out his case for why mobile voting can save democracy.

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Breaking the Silicon Valley hype machine Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

False promises of a high-tech future that’s good for humanity have allowed Silicon Valley to hoodwink policymakers and the public, argues cognitive scientist and tech critic Gary Marcus. And with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, Marcus says it’s more urgent than ever for governments to rein the industry in. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Marcus joins host Steven Overly to discuss ideas for how to do that from his new book, “Taming Silicon Valley.”

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The AI pioneer with a warning for Gov. Gavin Newsom Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

Washington isn’t poised to pass major AI legislation. Ottawa isn’t either. So Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, one of the “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, is looking to Sacramento. He’s urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an AI safety bill by month’s end — and facing off against influential tech executives who want it killed. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Bengio explains why he thinks California needs to regulate now.

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REBROADCAST: The challenges with creating cellphone-free schools Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Students in Florida, Indiana and Ohio returned to the classroom this fall with new restrictions on cellphones. It's part of a crackdown on screen time and social media by school administrators and political leaders who fear the technology is harmful to students' learning and mental health. On POLITICO Tech, Stanford professor and former schoolteacher Antero Garcia joins host Steven Overly to explain why he thinks such bans are bad policy — and bound to fail.

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Elon Musk as government reformer? A watchdog’s ‘nightmarish’ take. Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

Former President Donald Trump plans to tap tech billionaire Elon Musk to lead a new government efficiency commission if elected in November. But it’s a post that would raise conflicts of interest with Musk’s day jobs running Tesla, SpaceX and X, formerly known as Twitter. On POLITICO Tech, Danielle Brian from the Project on Government Oversight joins host Steven Overly to discuss the ethical concerns at play.

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AI is now writing up arrests. But tracking it is a problem. Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

Police officers routinely write reports after traffic stops, robberies and other daily encounters. And increasingly, they’re using artificial intelligence software from police technology company Axon to do it. But POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng found department policies for labeling which reports are AI generated are inconsistent. On POLITICO Tech, Ng breaks down some of the legal and ethical questions the criminal justice system has to sort out as a result.

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