AI in the “Big Beautiful Bill” and Safety Concerns About Anthropic’s Newest Model
In this episode, we discuss House Republicans’ proposed moratorium on state and local AI laws (00:57), break down AI-related appropriations across the executive branch (18:54), and unpack the safety issues and safeguards of Anthropic's newest model, Claude Opus 4 (26:51).
Correction: In this episode, a quote was incorrectly attributed directly to Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.). The statement—“Should the provision be stripped from the Senate reconciliation bill, some Republicans are eyeing separate legislation.”—was reported by The Hill as a paraphrase of Rep. Lee’s comments.
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33:25
China's AI Industrial Policy, New Controls on Huawei's Ascend Chips, and President Trump's Middle East Trip
In this episode, we discuss Princeton researcher Kyle Chan's op-ed in the New York Times on China's industrial policy for AI and advanced technologies (0:35), what the Bureau of Industry and Security's new controls on Huawei's Ascend chips mean for China's AI ecosystem (10:09), and our biggest takeaways from President Trump's visit to the Middle East (19:07).
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28:15
The AI Diffusion Rule is Rescinded, AI Executives Testify Before Congress, & AI Adoption in the IRS
In this episode, we discuss the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the AI Diffusion Framework (1:34), the message of top AI executives in their recent Senate testimony (20:03), what AI adoption could mean for the IRS (35:15), the U.S. Copyright Office’s latest report on generative AI training (44:44), and what AI policy might look like in the new papacy (49:24).
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53:13
Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request, AI Diffusion Framework Update, and the Politburo's Study Session on AI
In this episode, we discuss what the Trump administration's Fiscal Year 2026 budget request means for federal AI spending, what might happen to the AI Diffusion Framework before its May 15 implementation deadline, and what the Chinese Communist Party Politburo's Study Session on AI indicates about China's AI ambitions.
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34:50
Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang on Securing U.S. AI Leadership
On May 1, 2025, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Alexandr Wang, Founder and CEO of Scale AI, a company accelerating AI development by delivering expert-level data and technology solutions to leading AI labs, multinational enterprises, and governments. He shared his insights on key issues shaping the future of AI policy, such as U.S.-China AI competition, international AI governance, and the new administration’s approach to AI innovation, regulation, and global standards.
Alexandr founded Scale AI in 2016 as a 19-year-old MIT student with the vision of providing the critical data and infrastructure needed for complex AI projects. Under his leadership, Scale AI has grown to nearly a $14 billion valuation, serving hundreds of customers across industries ranging from finance to government agencies, and creating flexible, impactful AI work for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Watch full event at the following link: https://www.csis.org/analysis/scale-ais-alexandr-wang-securing-us-ai-leadership
CSIS’ Gregory C. Allen, Director of the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies, is joined by cohost H. Andrew Schwartz 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.
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