Claim OwnershipThe AI Policy Podcast
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Join CSIS’s Gregory C. Allen, senior adviser with the Wadhwani AI Centers, on a deep dive into the world of AI policy. Every two weeks, tune in for insightful discussions regarding AI policy regulation, innovation, national security, and geopolitics. The AI Policy Podcast is by the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at CSIS, a bipartisan think-tank in Washington, D.C.
74 Episodes
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In this episode, we start by discussing Greg's trip to India and the upcoming India AI Impact Summit in February 2026 (00:29). We then unpack the Trump Administration’s draft executive order to preempt state AI laws (07:46) and break down the European Commission’s new “digital omnibus” package, including proposed adjustments to the AI Act and broader regulatory simplification efforts (17:51). Finally, we discuss Anthropic’s report on a China-backed “highly sophisticated cyber espionage campaign" using Claude and the mixed reactions from cybersecurity and AI policy experts (37:37).
In this episode, Georgia Adamson and Saif Khan from the Institute for Progress join Greg to unpack their October 25 paper, "Should the US Sell Blackwell Chips to China?" They discuss the geopolitical context of the paper (3:26), how the rumored B30A would compare to other advanced AI chips (11:37), and the potential consequences if the US were to permit B30A exports to China (32:00).
Their paper is available here.
One of the most common questions we get from listeners is how to build a successful career in AI policy—so we dedicated an entire episode to answering it. We cover the most formative experiences from Greg's career journey (3:30), general principles for professional success (45:09), and actionable tips specific to breaking into the AI policy space (1:11:52).
In this episode, we cover OpenAI’s latest video-generation model Sora 2 (1:02), concrete harms and potential risks from deepfakes (5:18), the underlying technology and its history (27:03), and how policy can mitigate harms (36:31).
In this episode, we are joined by Rep. Jay Obernolte, one of Congress’s leading voices on AI policy. We discuss his path from developing video games to serving in Congress (00:49), the work of the bipartisan House Task Force on AI and its final report (9:39), competing approaches to designing AI regulation in Congress (16:38), and prospects for federal preemption of state AI legislation (40:32).
Congressman Obernolte has represented California’s 23rd district since 2021. He co-chaired the bipartisan House Task Force on AI, leading the development of an extensive December 2024 report outlining a congressional agenda for AI. He also serves as vice-chair of the Congressional AI Caucus and is the only current member of Congress with an advanced degree in Artificial Intelligence, which he earned from UCLA in 1997. Rep. Obernolte previously served in the California State Legislature.
In this episode, we are joined by economist Harry Holzer to discuss how AI is set to transform labor. Holzer was Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Clinton administration and is currently a Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University. We break down the fundamentals of the labor market (4:00) and the current and future impact of AI automation (10:30). Holzer also reacts to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's warning that AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs (23:32) and explains why we need better data capturing AI's impact on the labor market (52:53).
Harry Holzer recently co-authored a white paper titled "Proactively Developing & Assisting the Workforce in the Age of AI," which is available here.
In this episode, we dive into California's new AI transparency law, SB 53. We explore the bill's history (00:30), contrast it with the more controversial SB 1047 (6:43), break down the specific disclosure requirements for AI labs of different scales (13:38), and discuss how industry stakeholders and policy experts have responded to the legislation (29:47).
In this episode, we're joined by Joseph Majkut, Director of CSIS' Energy Security and Climate Change Program, to take an in-depth look at energy's role in AI. We explore the current state of the U.S. electrical grid (11:34), bottlenecks in the AI data center buildout (43:45), how U.S. energy efforts compare internationally (1:16:06), and more.
Joseph has co-authored three reports on AI and energy: AI for the Grid: Opportunities, Risks, and Safeguards (September 2025), The Electricity Supply Bottleneck on U.S. AI Dominance (March 2025), and The AI Power Surge: Growth Scenarios for GenAI Datacenters Through 2030 (March 2025).
In this episode, we discuss how today’s massive AI infrastructure investments compare to the Manhattan Project (00:33), China’s reported ban on Nvidia chips and its implications for export control policy (13:41), Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement with authors (33:49), and recent multibillion-dollar AI investments by Nvidia and ASML (44:42).
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).
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).
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).
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).
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.
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 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.
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.
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).
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).
In this episode, we discuss the U.S. AI Safety Institute's rebrand to the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (00:37), BIS Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler's testimony on semiconductor export controls (10:36), and Meta's new AI superintelligence lab and accompanying $15 billion investment in Scale AI (22:26).
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