The Looking Glass

Latest Episodes:

The Threat of Cyber on Critical Infrastructure Feb 27, 2025

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Welcome back everybody to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. I’m your host Jiwon Lim. From phishing emails to ransomware, cyberattacks may be a daily part of your and other people’s lives. However, when these attacks target not just your inbox but a whole industry, the conversation gets complicated. To discuss the actors and goals behind cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, their methods, and where we may be headed in the future of cyber attacks and defending against them is Dr. Jim Jones.
Dr. Jim Jones has been a cyber security and digital forensics practitioner, researcher, and educator for over 30 years in industry, government, and academia. Jim, his colleagues, and his students spend their days and nights examining digital systems of all types to understand how data persists and decays on these systems, and how such behavior and data can be used, manipulated, and verified to find malware infections and compromised systems, detect system and device misuse, link disparate devices and entities, effect and detect deception activities, and recover lost data. Past and current funded research sponsors include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Department of Defense (DoD). We hope you enjoy this episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.

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The Libya Chronicles: A Nation in Flux Jan 09, 2025

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Welcome back everybody to "The Libya Chronicles" the first series of the Maghreb Voices Mini Series, a special co-production of The North Africa Initiative and the SAIS Review Looking Glass Podcast. This series delves into the rich and tumultuous history of Libya, a land of ancient kingdoms, vast natural resources, and a complex political landscape. To discuss the transformation of Libyan society under Gaddafi and the following social and economic developments domestically and globally, joining us on the episode: A Nation in Flux is Stephanie Williams.
Stephanie Williams is a nonresident senior fellow in the Brookings Center for Middle East Policy, having recently served as special adviser on Libya to the United Nations secretary-general. Her research includes examining international mediation efforts in an era of global disorder and conflict resolution in failed states with a publication titled “Libya since Gaddafi” scheduled for April this year. She previously served as the acting special representative of the secretary general for Libya and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and before that, as the deputy special representative of the secretary general for Libya. She served in the U.S. Foreign Service for over 24 years, with a career focus on the Middle East region. She served in policy positions in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau and was the recipient of several Superior Honor Awards during her tenure in the U.S. Department of State. We hope you enjoy today’s episode of “The Looking Glass Podcast”

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Environment in the Era of AI Jan 06, 2025

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Facing the intangible nature of AI, its on the ground consequences can seem out of reach at the best of times. To shine light on the environmental aspect of the trade-offs and approaches towards environmental sustainability and AI joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Benjamin Lee.
Dr. Benjamin Lee is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering and the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a visiting researcher at Google in the Global Infrastructure Group. Dr. Lee's research focuses on computer architecture, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. He builds interdisciplinary links to machine learning and algorithmic economics to better design and manage computer systems. He has held visiting research positions at Meta AI, formerly Facebook AI Research, at Microsoft Research, at Intel Corporation, and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We hope you enjoy today’s episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.

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Developing AI Compliance Dec 19, 2024

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As the breadth and depth of AI applications grow, so do concerns regarding its development and functioning. To discuss the historical cases of compliance failure in the tech industry, how the AI ecosystem can better prepare to comply with the best practices, and the norms and principles to avoid similar risks in the future, joining us today on the podcast is Mariami Tkeshelashvili.
Mariami Tkeshelashvili is a Senior Associate for Artificial Intelligence Security Policy at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) where she leads AI Foundation Model Access Initiative and works on other projects within IST related to AI/Cyber and geopolitics of technology. Mariami was also a Fellow at Johns Hopkins University Emerging Technologies Initiative, where she explored transformative technologies like AI, biotech and quantum, and their profound implications for global affairs. Her recent publication includes the IST AI Compliance paper which came out December 11th.

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AI Semiconductors Security Dec 11, 2024

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AI and semiconductors have been at the forefront of recent domestic and foreign policy conversations, yielding questions around national security and supply chains. To discuss what AI chips are, the national security risks associated with them, and the US position in the global market for AI chips, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Melissa K. Griffith.
Dr. Melissa K. Griffith is a Lecturer in Technology and National Security at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies with the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies and a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. She works at the intersection between technology and national security, specializing in cybersecurity, semiconductors, and AI with a focus on national risk and resilience models.
Prior to joining Johns Hopkins SAIS, Dr. Griffith was the Director of Emerging Technology and National Security and a Senior Program Associate with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program, a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, and a Visiting Scholar at George Washington University's Institute for International Science and Technology Policy. We hope you enjoy today’s episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.

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Foreign Influences Operations Nov 05, 2024

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As we face the 2024 presidential elections, the possibilities of influence operations and disinformation in the media and public’s perceptions remain an ever increasing fear. To delve into what influence operations are and its developments since the 2020 elections, what and where our biggest threats lie, and how much impact these operations really have on the elections joining us on the podcast today is Gavin Wilde.
Gavin Wilde is a nonresident fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he applies his expertise on Russia and information warfare to examine the strategic challenges posed by cyber and influence operations, propaganda, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Carnegie, Wilde served on the National Security Council as director for Russia, Baltic, and Caucasus affairs. He is a nonresident fellow at Defense Priorities and an adjunct professor at the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. We hope you enjoy this episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in October 2024

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Space Cybersecurity and Resilience Oct 24, 2024

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As new technologies emerge, space operations and infrastructure have become critical to U.S. national security and economy. To understand the ongoing discussion on what the current status is on space technology and infrastructure, developing space policy communities, and the security issues that follow, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Gregory Falco.
Dr. Gregory Falco is an Assistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University. He is the director of the Aerospace ADVERSARY Laboratory, which designs and develops next-generation autonomous, secure and resilient space infrastructure. His space technology research is policy-relevant and advances standards and national security conversations relating to space supremacy and cybersecurity. He consults for a range of big technology companies, space systems and defense contractors including Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory. Prior to completing his PhD, he was an executive at Accenture. We hope you enjoy today’s episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.

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Sudan Famine Crisis Oct 14, 2024

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The Sudan Civil war has brought about the current largest famine and displacement crisis in the world, bringing with it questions around aid and international attention. To discuss the status of the conflict, the famine crisis and why it continues, and possible international actions that could be taken, joining us on the podcast today is Dan Sullivan.
Dan Sullivan is the director for Africa, Asia, and the Middle East at Refugees International. Dan focuses on Myanmar, Sudan, South Sudan, and other areas affected by mass displacement. He has more than 15 years of human rights and foreign policy experience having worked for many high-level organizations, including the Albright Stonebridge Group, where he assisted former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in her role as co-chair of the Genocide Prevention Task Force.

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AI Global Governance Sep 19, 2024

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The rise of AI and its use in private and public sectors has highlighted the need for AI regulations and have sparked debates on its contents globally. To understand the ongoing debates around what exactly the technology is, the pros and cons of adopting AI, and the current and future regulatory environment for an ethical AI, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez.
Dr. Lopez is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cognitive Insights for Artificial Intelligence advising on AI risk management, governance and compliance across various industries. In those roles she advanced novel ethical and human-centered projects and policy initiatives across the AI lifecycle, advising partners in healthcare/biotechnology, autonomous vehicles, and cybersecurity. Recent accolades include being named one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics 2023 and receiving a research award from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s Center for Law, Science and Innovation to propose soft law solutions for AI in healthcare. We hope you enjoy today’s episode of The Looking Glass Podcast.

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Talos x TLG: Harnessing Equitable Tech Futures Apr 03, 2024

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For our 4th episode, we are joined by Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. Mcgovern Foundation, AI ethicist, and appointee to the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.

This week, it’s all about the need to support technology creation that is fair and equitable through public and third-sector efforts.

This week we are learning :

Importance of curiosity and life-long learning
Need for more involvement of the public sector in constructing technology
Ability to go beyond actor-limited thinking when it comes to regulation
Ways to hone foundations and nonprofit participation in AI creation and regulation

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