Politics of AI coalitions and public sentiment

Dean Ball analyzes emerging pro-, anti-, and middle coalitions and public low salience but growing concern about AI.

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This year-end live show features nine rapid-fire conversations to make sense of AI’s 2025 and what might define 2026. PSA for AI builders: Interested in alignment, governance, or AI safety? Learn more about the MATS Summer 2026 Fellowship and submit your name to be notified when applications open: https://matsprogram.org/s26-tcr. New York Assemblymember Alex Boris breaks down the RAISE Act's bid to curb catastrophic AI risks, the governor negotiations, and why a16z-backed ads are targeting him. Former White House AI adviser Dean Ball maps the emerging coalitions on AI, federal preemption, and what fast-improving coding agents could mean for policy and jobs. Forecaster Peter Wildeford debates selling vs "renting" chips to China and offers a 2026 outlook on agents, costs, and robotics. Recorded live as part of our AI 2025→2026 series (Part 2).

Sponsors:

Gemini 3 in Google AI Studio:

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MATS:

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Tasklet:

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CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Sponsor: Gemini 3 in Google AI Studio

(00:31) RAISE Act status

(04:52) Catastrophic risk focus

(10:47) Super PAC backlash

(16:17) Data centers and grid

(19:47) Palantir and surveillance

(23:42) Dean Ball joins (Part 1)

(23:46) Sponsors: MATS | Framer

(27:05) Dean Ball joins (Part 2)

(32:00) Social media lessons

(36:22) Trump preemption and chips (Part 1)