Stay ConnectedPodcast of the Technology Policy Institute of Washington, D.C.
The Technology Policy Institute is a think tank that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. Our mission is to advance knowledge and inform policymakers by producing independent, rigorous research and by sponsoring educational programs and conferences on major issues affecting information technology and communications policy.
Copyright: © All rights reserved
Ryan Vaughan of Needham & Company delves into the world of mergers in the media, tech, and telecom industries, drawing insights from the recent attempted merger between Standard General and Tegna.
On the latest TPI Two Think Minimum podcast, Tom Lenard and Sarah Oh Lam interview John Samples from the Oversight Board about the board's policy advisory opinion on COVID-19 misinformation. The podcast covers the challenges of content moderation on a large platform like Facebook, with millions of pieces of content needing to be dealt with daily and the need for a more variegated decision-making process involving more interest groups. They also discuss the trade-offs involved in COVID-19 policies and the importance of transparency regarding government requests. The podcast covers the need for a clear understanding of what constitutes misinformation and the dangers of too much concentration of power in content moderation.
On this episode of Two Think Minimum we welcome Professor Kristina McElheran. We explore the impact of artificial intelligence and related technologies on workers, workplaces, and productivity. Dr. McElheran shares her expertise on the economics and strategic management of technological change and how digitization is changing how firms innovate and make data-driven decisions.
On this episode of Two Think Minimum, we welcome Greg Ip, Chief Economics Commentator at the Washington Post, to discuss the topic of industrial policy. Greg shares his insights on the role of government in shaping and directing economic activity in key sectors, such as manufacturing, technology, and energy. He explores the history of industrial policy in the United States, from its early days in the post-war era to the present day, and examines how it has evolved. Greg also discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing effective industrial policy in today's rapidly changing global economy and shares his thoughts on what policymakers can do to promote growth and innovation in key industries.
This episode of Two Think Minimum focuses on prediction markets and their regulation. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission recently tried to shut down Predictit, a leading prediction market, but the Fifth Circuit granted a temporary injunction to allow the site to continue operating. We interview two executives of Aristotle, the firm that incubated and helps run Predictit: John Phillips, CEO of Aristotle, and David Mason, Aristotle’s general counsel.
Jane Horvath joins Two Think Minimum to chat about privacy policy. She shares the serendipitous way she became a privacy expert in the early days at a technology start up. She also discusses the need for a baseline omnibus privacy law in the US. Jane recently became a partner at Gibson Dunn, where she is co-chair of the Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation Practice Group. She built and led Apple's privacy legal team, most recently serving as Apple's Chief Privacy Officer. And before that, she worked in privacy for Google, the US Department of Justice, and Digital City.
Sujit Raman discusses the current state, regulatory framework, and future of cryptocurrency with us on Two Think Minimum. Sujit is General Counsel at TRM Labs, a leading blockchain and Web3analytics company that helps organizations detect, assess, and investigate crypto related fraud and financial crime. Previously, he was a partner at Sidley Austin, where he focused his practice on cybersecurity and data privacy issues, internal investigations, and white collar criminal defense. Earlier in his career, Mr. Raman served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the US Department of Justice, and he also helped oversee the DOJs cyber related policy development. In addition, he oversaw the creation of the Department's cryptocurrency enforcement framework, which remains federal law enforcement strategy blueprint for investigating crypto related crime.
Stuart Brotman joins Two Think Minimum to discuss the most recent Texas and Florida litigation concerning content moderation and the First Amendement. He shares ideas for creating cultural change around our nation's value of free speech. Stuart is the inaugural Howard Distinguished Endowed Professor of Media Management and Law and Beaman Professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has served in four presidential administrations on a bipartisan basis and has taught students from 42 countries in six separate disciplines. He also has advised private and public sector telecommunications, Internet media, entertainment, and sports clients in more than 30 countries on five continents.
Guest Avi Goldfarb discusses AI as prediction technology likely to transform our systems over a long period of time. Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and a Professor of Marketing at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He's also Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute and the Schwartzman Institute for Technology and Society, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Avi's research focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy. Additionally, he is co-author of a new book titled Power and Prediction, The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence, which will be coming out on November 15th.
Jay Bhattacharya joins Two Think Minimum for a look at the responses of public health and economic experts to Covid-19. He asserts the need for a retrospective to learn from it, discussing his own criticisms of the professional communities. Jay is a professor of health policy at Stanford University and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He directs Stanford Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. He co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter in response to the pandemic and lockdowns.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
