The AI Policy Podcast

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Why is China's AI Sector Booming? Sep 12, 2025

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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).

Unpacking the EU AI Act Code of Practice with Marietje Schaake Sep 05, 2025

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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 Practice (16:47), break down how the Code helps AI companies demonstrate compliance with the Act (28:25), and explore the kinds of systemic risks the AI Act seeks to address (32:00).

U.S. Takes 10% Stake in Intel and Nvidia Halts H20 Production for China Aug 27, 2025

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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).

Trump's AI Chip Licensing Deal, AI Spending Bubble Concerns, & New Advances for Gov't AI Adoption Aug 14, 2025

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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, Anthropic, and Google as vendors (37:18).

H20 Export Dispute and Industry Responses to the EU AI Code of Practice Aug 07, 2025

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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 with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios here.

Unpacking the White House AI Action Plan with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios Jul 31, 2025

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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 the development and execution of the nation’s science and technology policy agenda. He leads the Trump administration’s efforts to ensure American leadership in scientific discovery and technological innovation, including in critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology. In the first Trump administration, he served as the fourth Chief Technology Officer of the United States at the White House and as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon.

Watch the full event or read the transcript here: Unpacking the White House AI Action Plan with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios

In Memoriam: Andrew Schwartz, Our Friend and Colleague Jul 29, 2025

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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.

China's AI Industrial Policy with Kyle Chan Jul 16, 2025

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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 companies (19:29), China's current AI priorities, protectionism strategies, and adoption patterns (47:05), and the future trajectory of China's AI industrial policy amid US-China competition (1:12:22).

Kyle co-authored RAND's June 26 report "Full Stack: China’s Evolving Industrial Policy for AI," which is available here.

Senate Strikes AI Law Moratorium, Courts Rule on Copyright Cases, and Congress Talks AGI Jul 02, 2025

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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).

AI, Cybersecurity, and Securing Model Weights with Miles Brundage and Chris Rohlf Jun 27, 2025

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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 security doomerism” (1:03:15), and how policymakers can strengthen incentives to secure AI systems (1:08:46).

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