ChinaTalk

AI + The State Department

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How can AI change diplomacy?

To discuss the State Department’s options for AI integration, we interviewed the State Department's Deputy Chief Data and AI Officer, Garrett Berntsen. He served as an officer during two tours in Afghanistan and recently rotated off the NSC. He's optimistic diplomacy can be more effective with comprehensive, timely, and accurate data-driven analysis, and that AI will be part of achieving that mission.

We get into:

  • How AI can streamline bureaucratic busy work
  • The value of data-driven negotiation prep in diplomatic contexts
  • The benefits of transparency in a democratic society
  • What level of risk is appropriate for the civil service
  • How close he is to getting ChatGPT into State
  • The balance between transparency and secrecy in the age of big data
  • How the Snowden leaks changed the State Department’s relationship with technology
  • What the State Department can and can't import from the private sector


    • Thanks to the Hudson Institute and Andrew Marshall Foundation for supporting this podcast.

    Outtro music: 國蛋 GorDoN - White Noise ft. 蛋堡 Soft Lipa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZM440owzw

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    ChinaTalkBy Jordan Schneider
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