The Decoded Podcast

Google’s Kent Walker was among the tech executives who signed last month’s White House AI safety pledge. On POLITICO Tech, he tells Steven Overly why he wants to see it become a global model, and why some of AI’s legal risks are still unclear.

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Charles Jennings ran software companies for decades. The last one developed AI-powered facial recognition technology. But now he argues the most sophisticated artificial intelligence systems are too powerful to be left in private hands. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Jennings tells Steven Overly why the government should take over.

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The Center for Countering Digital Hate tracks hate speech and harmful content across social media platforms like TikTok and X. And in recent weeks, the tiny organization has drawn heat from Elon Musk and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan for its work. On today’s POLITICO Tech, CEO Imran Ahmed tells Steven Overly how his organization is now responding by “setting a few” fires of its own.

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DC went all out for a major hacking convention this week. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Steven Overly and Mohar Chatterjee discuss the unconventional but necessary alliance between the federal government and the hacking community, and what to expect next.

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Republican Congressman Ken Buck pushed for legislation to challenge the market dominance of companies like Google and Amazon. Many of those bills fell short. On today's POLITICO Tech, Buck tells Steven Overly how he is “laying the groundwork” for a future fight while shifting focus to more viable issues, including artificial intelligence.

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Canada’s Liberal government picked a fight with two U.S. tech giants by passing legislation forcing Meta and Google to pay news publishers for content. But the battle hasn’t gone quite as expected. Steven Overly talks with Politico Canada reporter Kyle Duggan about Canada's stalemate with Meta and Google.

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The Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action has prompted conservatives to target corporate diversity programs. On their list are the biggest companies in tech, an industry that has long struggled to hire a diverse workforce. On today's POLITICO Tech, Steven Overly talks with Brookings Institution expert Nicol Turner Lee about the potential consequences — for the companies and for their users.

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A major gathering of “white hat” hackers will attack popular AI systems this weekend in an attempt to uncover security flaws. The so-called “red-teaming” exercise has attracted the support of the White House amid questions about the security of these powerful technologies. POLITICO tech reporter Mohar Chatterjee talks to one of the event’s organizers, SeedAI founder Austin Carson.

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The 2024 campaign cycle is expected to unleash a torrent of AI-generated “deepfake” videos and images capable of deceiving voters. The Federal Election Commission is scheduled to vote today on a petition, initiated by advocacy group Public Citizen, that calls for banning political campaigns from distributing fake audio, video and images of their opponents. But the measure has failed before and early attempts to address the issue in Washington have hit political headwinds. On today's episode, Steven Overly talks with Public Citizen President Robert Weissman about the threats these forgeries present for politicians and voters alike.

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Biden authorized $52 billion to rebuild the U.S. semiconductor industry one year ago today. Mike Schmidt is the guy charged with doling out the money. As director of the Commerce Department’s CHIPS Program Office, he manages the national security and finance experts picking the projects that will get a boost from taxpayers. On today’s episode, Schmidt lays out the agency’s vetting process — even as some questions remain unanswered, like how the U.S. and its allies will prevent a subsidies war. 

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