Episodes
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA, is tasked with tackling two of Washington’s biggest and most politically fraught challenges: confronting Chinese hackers and securing U.S. elections. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Maggie Miller sits down with CISA Director Jen Easterly to discuss the agency’s plans for both this year.
Published 03/25/24
Social media hacking and the scams that come with it affect thousands of people each year -- including host Steven Overly’s mom. It can be a major inconvenience for those cut off from friends and loved ones, and a serious financial and emotional burden for those who lose money in the process. John Breyault from the National Consumers League joins POLITICO Tech to talk social media scams.
Published 03/22/24
The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will provide Intel with subsidies, grants and tax credits in exchange for building new manufacturing and research facilities in the U.S. Combined, Intel’s haul could be worth as much as $44.5 billion. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Brendan Bordelon explains how the company lobbied its way to a big payday, and why President Joe Biden sees the deal as a political winner on the campaign trail.
Published 03/21/24
The names and addresses of millions of Americans can be found online through voter registration records. And some states argue that’s a privacy concern as voters are targeted with doxxing and harassment. But their efforts to change public disclosure laws have garnered pushback from conservative election transparency advocates. POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng joins host Steven Overly to dissect the tensions.
Published 03/20/24
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler warns on today’s episode of POLITICO Tech that Wall Street’s headlong rush to embrace artificial intelligence could create new weaknesses in the U.S. financial system. The solution, Gensler says, requires Washington regulators to band together in a new way.
Published 03/19/24
Should the government be telling social media companies what misinformation to remove? That’s the central question in a major tech case being heard at the Supreme Court today. On POLITICO Tech, Nina Jankowicz from the Centre for Information Resilience delves into the chilling effect the lawsuit has had on efforts to combat online disinformation ahead of the 2024 election.
Published 03/18/24
Artificial intelligence has begun to transform health care. But how do you separate the promise from the hype? And will only the rich actually benefit? Host Steven Overly asked those questions at the POLITICO Live Heath Care Summit this week, including during a live interview with Dr. Andrew Trister from Google’s life sciences company, Verily.
Published 03/15/24
The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to force a sale, and perhaps eventually a ban, of the video sharing app TikTok. But many hurdles remain before that becomes a reality. And the drama surrounding the legislation reveals just how convoluted TikTok politics have become. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly breaks down what will likely happen next with national security lawyer and former Commerce Department official Nazak Nikakhtar.
Published 03/14/24
South By Southwest took over Austin. The annual tech and entertainment festival attracts an eccentric crowd, which this year includes a strong contingent of Washington policymakers and U.S. defense officials. Digital Future Daily author Derek Robertson joins POLITICO Tech from Texas to explain how AI and politics have made a splash at the gathering.
Published 03/13/24
The rise in online disinformation has forced political campaigns to develop a new playbook. Journalist Sasha Issenberg tackles that subject in his new book, “The Lie Detectives.” He joins POLITICO Tech to break down lessons from the front lines of the 2020 election and how campaigns are applying them this time around.
Published 03/12/24
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, has long been a rite of passage for students applying to college in the U.S. Now, the test has undergone a digital transformation that became official over the weekend. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks through the technological challenges posed by an electronic test and how its administrator has tried to overcome them with the College Board’s Priscilla Rodriguez.
Published 03/11/24
Generative artificial intelligence is transforming the way students learn to read and write. To understand how, POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly called up California high school teacher Daniel Herman. Herman’s students are using AI today -- and he believes the technology will fundamentally change English class as we know it.
Published 03/08/24
President Joe Biden will deliver the State of the Union address tonight. And while tech probably won’t dominate the speech, Biden could mention issues like AI, microchips and competition with China. MIT fellow R. David Edelman contributed to State of the Union speeches during his time as a tech adviser to President Barack Obama. On POLITICO Tech, Edelman tells host Steven Overly what goes into the big address and what Biden might say.
Published 03/07/24
Israel is using artificial intelligence to identify strike targets in Gaza as it goes after Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks. Critics are now pressing for details on the technology as the death toll surpasses 30,000 Palestinians. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Joseph Gedeon joins host Steven Overly to explain how AI is being used today and how defense officials expect it to remain a fixture of conflicts to come.
Published 03/06/24
It’s Super Tuesday — and President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to be the big winners. But the digital campaign is not exactly a 2020 rematch. On POLITICO Tech, Republican digital strategist Eric Wilson dives into how the 2024 cycle looks different online and who seems to be coming out ahead with host Steven Overly.
Published 03/05/24
The Biden administration escalated its tech war with China last week, taking a pair of actions aimed at cracking down on Beijing’s access to data on Americans. Ben Buchanan, the White House special adviser on artificial intelligence, tells host Steven Overly why these latest actions are necessary and how they fit into the president’s AI agenda.
Published 03/04/24
In the two years since the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has tried to cut off Russia’s access to microchips and other technology that helps its war effort. But Moscow has proven resilient — and continues to circumvent trade restrictions with the help of its neighbors. On POLITICO Tech, Max Bergmann from the Center for Strategic and International Studies explains how Russia is pulling it off and what more the Biden administration can do.
Published 03/01/24
A new report out today shows that tech experts and the general public don’t see eye to eye on some of the biggest risks posed by artificial intelligence. Lee Rainie from Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center tells host Steven Overly how that disconnect could complicate Washington’s efforts to regulate the fast-moving technology.
Published 02/29/24
Steven Overly interviews journalist Byron Tau about his newly published book, “Means of Control,” which details how he came to learn that a trove of personal information was being peddled to federal agencies by an opaque network of government contractors.
Published 02/28/24
At least two lawmakers in the European Parliament have found spyware on their phones. This is a major breach, especially since both members sit on the defense subcommittee. And it shows serious cybersecurity risks as the EU prepares for elections in June. On the show today, Steven talks with POLITICO EU colleague Antoaneta Roussi — who broke this story in a rather unusual way — about the reckoning it’s causing in Brussels.
Published 02/27/24
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two lawsuits today -- the outcomes of which could shape the way governments regulate social media. At issue are laws in Texas and Florida that put restrictions on how platforms like Facebook, YouTube and X police online material. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks to Carl Szabo, the general counsel at NetChoice, a tech association challenging the social media laws in Texas and Florida.
Published 02/26/24
The Department of Homeland Security has an enormous footprint. Everything from policing the southern border to processing visas for high skilled immigrants, Investigations into child sexual material online, domestic security threats, and election security. So how DHS brings AI to bear is going to have an outsized impact on the American people, And behind those decisions at DHS is Eric Hysen. On today's episode, Mohar Chatterjee talks with Eric Hysen, chief AI officer at the Department of...
Published 02/23/24
Washington is in the midst of its first real crackdown on AI-generated deepfakes, as federal agencies take action to combat robocalls, election misinformation and fraud. But will it be enough? Public Citizen CEO Robert Weissman tackles that question with host Steven Overly on today’s POLITICO Tech.
Published 02/22/24
A Michigan company called Hemlock Semiconductor got the red carpet treatment from President Joe Biden back in 2022. As Biden stood outside the White House, he pledged the CHIPS and Science Act would support Hemlock and other suppliers. But things haven’t fully panned out that way for Hemlock. Other companies similarly argue that Biden’s landmark CHIPS and Science Act should provide more money for microchip suppliers -- otherwise, it risks falling short on his national security goals,...
Published 02/21/24
John Matze is the former CEO of Parler. You might recall, that’s the social media app that became a favorite for far-right personalities spreading conspiracies during the 2020 election. And he was fired in the wake of the Jan. 6th insurrection, an attack he said at the time was not Parler’s fault. Now, John is trying for a second act with a new app that’s part social media, part news aggregator. On POLITICO Tech, John tells host Steven Overly what he learned from his handling of the last...
Published 02/20/24