Washington AI Network with Tammy Haddad

In this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, Tammy Haddad is joined by Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project, for a conversation on U.S. AI strategy, national security, and the global tech race. Bajraktari previews the 2025 AI Expo in Washington, DC, including new national security programming, China’s AI ambitions, Trump’s recent Middle East trip, and why AI has become central to U.S. foreign policy and defense.

In this special edition of the Washington AI Network Podcast, recorded live at NVIDIA 2025 GTC conference, host Tammy Haddad takes listeners inside the future of AI innovation with startups. NVIDIA’s Startup Guru, Howard Wright, shares how the Inception program supports over 27,000 startups worldwide, unlocking capital, customers, and compute to fuel AI breakthroughs. Fay Arjomandi, CEO of mimik, introduces her edge-first, privacy-focused approach to agent-based AI systems. ArangoDB’s Corey Sommers explains why graph databases are the foundation of intelligent, responsive generative AI platforms. And nTop’s Alec Guay and Todd McDevitt demonstrate how their GPU-powered design tools are slashing engineering cycles across aerospace, energy, and manufacturing. From defense to design, this episode showcases the real-world power of AI startups—and how the NVIDIA ecosystem helps them scale.

In this special edition of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad takes listeners behind the scenes at NVIDIA’s 2025 GTC, where more than 26,000 developers, engineers, and thought leaders gathered to chart the course of intelligent systems. NVIDIA’s Dion Harris unveils the company’s new operating system, Dynamo, designed to power the global rollout of AI factories; Disney Research’s Moritz Baecher and Espen Knoop introduce us to their emotionally expressive robots, Besh and Grok; and Rapidflare CEO Navanee Sundaramoorthy explains how AI agents can simplify technical documents for businesses.

​​In a conversation recorded live at the White House Correspondents’ Weekend TGAIFriday Lunch, Navy CTO Justin Fanelli describes how he is harnessing AI to make our military smarter, safer, and ensure our war fighters keep their competitive edge. He also explains why the Pentagon is shedding “technical debt,” and moving at “flank speed” to outpace China. Booz Allen engineer Zane Price reveals how the Space Llama model–a collaboration between Meta and Booz Allen that was announced that day–for the first time gives astronauts direct access to information through a trusted, safe open source LLM. 

In the 50th episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast hosted by Tammy Haddad, Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google and Alphabet, discusses his company’s pioneering role in artificial intelligence, the complexities of regulating this rapidly evolving technology, and the importance of public-private collaboration to address national security challenges. Walker also shared insights into Google’s quantum computing advancements, highlighting how AI and quantum research will shape the future.

In this special SXSW edition of the Washington AI Network Podcast—recorded live at the SeedAI House—host Tammy Haddad interviews four innovators harnessing open-source AI to transform finance, healthcare, and music. Listen as Andrei Papancea (CEO, NLX), Dr. Kal Clark (founder, Zauron Labs), Martha Sylla Underwood (founder, Prismm), and award–winning producer Bosko Kante (founder, HiiiWAV) reveal how they’re building next-generation solutions using models like Llama. From reducing errors in medical imaging to empowering new music creators, each conversation underscores how smart content, efficient workflows, and open-source collaboration can deliver real impact across industries.

Host Tammy Haddad interviews Senator Mike Rounds, co-chair of the Senate AI Caucus, and Representative Zach Nunn in this special edition of the Washington AI Network podcast, recorded live at the SeedAI House at SXSW. They delve into AI's transformative impact on healthcare, national security, and agriculture, exploring how AI accelerates medical research, enhances defense strategies, and revolutionizes precision farming. Senator Rounds offers a bold vision, suggesting that AI-driven breakthroughs could help cure the majority of cancers within five years. The conversation highlights bipartisan efforts to advance AI research and legislative initiatives like the AI Plan Act and CLARITY Act, which aim to streamline regulations and build a made-in-America blockchain infrastructure.

Host Tammy Haddad is joined by Tiffany Moore, senior vice president of policy and industry affairs at the Consumer Technology Association, as well as Amb. Nicole Bintner of Luxembourg, Amb. Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland, and Amb. Rosemary Banks of New Zealand, whose countries have been named “Global Innovation Champions” on CTA’s Gloval Innovation Scorecard. The conversation focuses on how government, industry, and public stakeholders can collaborate to harness artificial intelligence while safeguarding public trust, competitiveness, and ethical standards.

Join host Tammy Haddad as she welcomes Ben Brake, Germany’s Director General for Digital and Data Policy at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, to explore how Europe’s regulatory approach to AI and digital policy is shaping its partnership with the United States. Brake responds to Vice President JD Vance’s critique of EU tech oversight, explains what Germany’s election outcome means for innovation, examines how the EU plans to power AI sustainably, and discusses China’s dual role as a competitor and key partner.

In this special on-site episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad reports from the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit at the historic Grand Palais, where French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened top innovators, investors, and policymakers. Tammy interviews SCSP fellow Eli Sugarman on the launch of their Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST.Tools); Common Sense Media founder Jim Steyer; former French ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Étienne; Avenir founder Andrew Sugrue; Station F director Roxanne Varza; and Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried and about Europe’s booming AI ecosystem, open-source safety initiatives, global governance, cutting-edge investments, and the urgent need to protect children and families—all underscoring a call for inclusive, responsible innovation.