POLITICO Tech

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gerard de Graaf opened the European Union’s first San Francisco office nearly a year ago, making him the bloc’s de facto ambassador to the U.S. tech industry. His position is part cop, part counselor, part hype man. De Graaf speaks with Steven Overly about the EU’s ambitions in Silicon Valley and what has surprised him most about the place, including CEOs who are more comfortable with regulation than their lobbyists suggest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First came Denmark. Then the U.K. and, more recently, the EU. A growing list of governments are setting up de facto embassies in Silicon Valley, largely to develop closer relationships with tech companies. POLITICO’s Steven Overly and Brendan Bordelon break down the purpose of these outposts, what they’re really like on the inside, and what they signal about the political and commercial pull of the U.S.’s largest tech hub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday, writers and studios are slated to hold the first talks they will have had in three months. Steven Overly talks with filmmaker Justine Bateman, who predicts expects artificial intelligence will be the harbinger of the end of movies and television as we know it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican Todd Young is one of four senators charting the chamber’s path forward on artificial intelligence — a path he doesn’t expect will lead to sweeping AI legislation. In this episode, Steven Overly talks with Young about his vision for regulating this fast-moving technology and why the solution to concerns about bias, national security and even "doomsday scenarios" lies outside Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ronnie Chatterji — one of President Biden's key players on microchips — is leaving the White House this week, Politico exclusively reports. Chatterji joined the Commerce Department during the height of the supply chain crisis and quickly focused his attention on chips. Steven Overly talks with Chatterji about what’s left to do on chips, how well global competition is being managed, and what to watch for next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices