Decoded by POLITICO

Marietje Schaake thinks Silicon Valley has pulled off a major power grab, taking on decisions that were once made by elected leaders and democratic governments. A former EU parliamentarian now at Stanford, Schaake outlines the problems posed by tech’s growing influence over our daily lives in a new book, “The Tech Coup.” On POLITICO Tech, Schaake joins host Steven Overly to explain what governments can do to take back their power. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s growing concern among global leaders that artificial intelligence will be controlled only by the wealthiest nations — the same nations that control most of the technology today. Eurasia Group founder and president Ian Bremmer serves on the UN’s AI advisory body and co-authored a report outlining ideas for making AI more equitable. On POLITICO Tech, Bremmer tells host Steven Overly what he thinks a new international AI order should look like and why it’s key to addressing one of the biggest geopolitical risks today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UN General Assembly kicks off this weekend and world leaders are expected to have tech top of mind. Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be there, making a rare, high-profile speech where he’s expected to urge world leaders to work together. Ahead of his address, POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly talked with Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy, about Google’s AI message to the world, the regulations it can live with and whether its antitrust trials are hampering its AI ambitions.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

POLITICO held its AI and Tech Summit earlier this week, where host Steven Overly sat down with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. On today’s episode, we air that conversation. Klobuchar is one of the Senate’s leading Democratic voices warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence this election cycle; and as Senate Rules Committee chair, she introduced legislation that would ban AI deepfakes of candidates and require disclaimers for political ads made with AI. But with the election now weeks away, those rules still aren’t on the books — and it’s not likely there will be any movement before election day.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) is helping set the House’s artificial intelligence agenda as co-chair of a bipartisan task force in the House. That includes more than a dozen AI-related bills he thinks the lower chamber can pass this year. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sat down with Obernolte at POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit this week for a live taping of the podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bradley Tusk started his career in government before making big bucks in tech and venture capital. He’s now pouring millions of dollars into building and testing technology that would allow people to cast votes from a smartphone. On POLITICO Tech, Tusk joins host Steven Overly to discuss his new book, “Vote With Your Phone,” and lay out his case for why mobile voting can save democracy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

False promises of a high-tech future that’s good for humanity have allowed Silicon Valley to hoodwink policymakers and the public, argues cognitive scientist and tech critic Gary Marcus. And with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, Marcus says it’s more urgent than ever for governments to rein the industry in. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Marcus joins host Steven Overly to discuss ideas for how to do that from his new book, “Taming Silicon Valley.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Washington isn’t poised to pass major AI legislation. Ottawa isn’t either. So Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, one of the “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, is looking to Sacramento. He’s urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an AI safety bill by month’s end — and facing off against influential tech executives who want it killed. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Bengio explains why he thinks California needs to regulate now.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Students in Florida, Indiana and Ohio returned to the classroom this fall with new restrictions on cellphones. It's part of a crackdown on screen time and social media by school administrators and political leaders who fear the technology is harmful to students' learning and mental health. On POLITICO Tech, Stanford professor and former schoolteacher Antero Garcia joins host Steven Overly to explain why he thinks such bans are bad policy — and bound to fail.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump plans to tap tech billionaire Elon Musk to lead a new government efficiency commission if elected in November. But it’s a post that would raise conflicts of interest with Musk’s day jobs running Tesla, SpaceX and X, formerly known as Twitter. On POLITICO Tech, Danielle Brian from the Project on Government Oversight joins host Steven Overly to discuss the ethical concerns at play.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices