The Interconnect

Frontier Tech and the Geopolitical Future

Apr 10, 2025
Amy Zegart is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, while Adam Segal directs the Digital and Cyberspace Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations. They are joined by Kat Duffy and Herb Lin, both experts in cyber and technology policies. The conversation dives into the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies, contrasting innovation strategies between the U.S. and China. They also discuss the crucial role of government funding in innovation and the global talent competition impacting the future of technology.
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INSIGHT

Unique Nature of Tech Change

  • Emerging technology change is unique due to convergence, speed, and unpredictability.
  • Multiple advancing tech fields evolve simultaneously, making forecasting difficult even for experts.
INSIGHT

Interdependent Technologies Drive Innovation

  • Technologies like AI, materials science, and semiconductors depend on each other in a reinforcing loop.
  • No single technology is most fundamental; their interdependence drives progress.
ANECDOTE

Low-Tech Can Be Transformational

  • Shipping containers revolutionized global trade despite being low-tech.
  • SpaceX reused known technologies innovatively to drastically reduce launch costs.
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