All eyes are on the Senate this week, where lawmakers are taking up a bill that forces TikTok to find a new owner. Now, Congress can be an unpredictable place. But things have never looked worse for the popular app. So, what happens next? It seems clear that TikTok would take the U.S. government to court, likely arguing that forcing a sale, and potentially imposing a ban, violates the constitutional rights of TikTok’s investors and users. Right now, TikTok is locked in a lawsuit with the state of Montana over a ban passed last year. On today's Politico Tech, Steven Overly talks with Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the man at the center of the state's proposed ban, about what he expects from TikTok’s coming legal fight.

Montana's Attorney General on the state's battle to ban TikTok

The POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and microchips, we explore how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, global rivalries and industries that will matter tomorrow.

Tech News

Technology

News

Politics

Daily News

Right now, there’s probably a political candidate in your inbox asking for donations. Online fundraising has taken off in recent election cycles, and it’s now how many Washington hopefuls raise big bucks. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Jessica Piper joins host Steven Overly to talk about how digital platforms have changed the fundraising game.

R U there? Plz donate 2 my campaign ASAP

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark says building a safe AI model — named Claude — will differentiate the company from its competitors. And he’s in Washington pushing for safety testing and product standards. Will that ultimately help established companies like his? He joined host Steven Overly to discuss.

One-on-one with Anthropic cofounder Jack Clark

Jacob Helberg was influential in pushing for the law that forces the sale of TikTok. Now, he wants Congress to prepare for a future conflict with China, one that has artificial intelligence at the center. Helberg, who is a senior policy adviser at Palantir Technologies and sits on the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, joins host Steven Overly to talk about the next frontier in U.S. tech competition with China.

What TikTok’s Washington nemesis is targeting next

States are considering a slew of bills to regulate artificial intelligence, including whether companies must disclose that they’re using the technology to make decisions in areas like employment and housing. Consumer Reports policy analyst Grace Gedye joins POLITICO Tech to discuss loopholes that the advocacy group argues state lawmakers must close before passing new laws.

What worries consumer advocates about state AI bills

In 1952, TV news producers needed an edge on election night. And they found it in new "fearsome contraptions" called computers. On POLITICO Tech, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ira Chinoy joins host Steven Overly to talk about his new book, “Predicting the Winner: The Untold Story of Election Night 1952 and the Dawn of Computer Forecasting.” They go inside that pivotal election night, and what it tells us about political journalism and technology today.

Montana's Attorney General on the state's battle to ban TikTok

Download our free app to listen on your phone