The Tech Policy Press Podcast

Frank Torres, Senior Policy Advisor on Civil Rights and Technology at the Center for Civil Rights and Technology, discusses a groundbreaking Innovation Framework aimed at fostering equitable AI practices. They dive into the importance of integrating civil rights into AI governance, highlighting risks faced by marginalized communities. The conversation emphasizes consumer trust, the need for responsible AI deployment, and why engaging those historically pushed to the margins is crucial in the design process. Sustainability challenges in AI also take center stage, advocating for a balance between innovation and ethical accountability.

Cristiano Lima-Strong, Associate Editor at Tech Policy Press, joins to delve into a contentious legislative proposal proposing a 10-year moratorium on state AI laws. He uncovers the motivations behind this initiative aimed at creating a cohesive national framework for AI regulation. The discussion reveals concerns over consumer protections for vulnerable groups and highlights the rapid progression of this proposal in Congress. Lima-Strong also examines the shifting dynamics of AI regulation amid growing state-level scrutiny and industry lobbying.

Karen Hao, a journalist and author of 'Empire of AI,' dives into the troubling dynamics of artificial intelligence and its imperialistic impact on marginalized communities. She critiques the unethical practices of tech giants like OpenAI and emphasizes the vast disparity between executives and lower-paid workers. The conversation highlights grassroots activism against harmful AI developments and advocates for a future where AI promotes equity in education and healthcare. Hao envisions a world where technology serves humanity rather than undermining it.

Milton L. Mueller, a professor at Georgia Tech and head of the Internet Governance Project, explores the evolution of internet governance and the implications for today's tech policy. He discusses the historic shift of U.S. control over ICANN and the emergence of a more multi-stakeholder approach post-2012. The conversation touches on the geopolitics between the U.S. and China, tensions in tech sovereignty, and the UN's role in governance. Mueller emphasizes the need to retain idealism in navigating the complex future of digital governance.

In the wake of the most intense India-Pakistan escalation in two decades, experts are still trying to make sense of the role that the information war played in the physical one. In this episode, Tech Policy Press Associate Editor Ramsha Jahangir speaks to two experts from India and Pakistan who tirelessly navigated the deluge of rumor and disinformation during the crisis, and who came away with thoughts about the role of social media platforms and the incentives they create, particularly in times of conflict:Pratik Sinha, co-founder and editor at Alt News—one of India’s major fact-checking websites, and Asad Baig, founder of Media Matters for Democracy—a non-profit focused on media literacy and development in Pakistan.Sinha and Baig reflect on how the India-Pakistan conflict played out across digital platforms—and how it revealed a deeper, more dangerous dysfunction in the information ecosystem. 

 Last year, a United States federal judge ruled that Google is a monopolist in the market for online search. For the past three weeks, the company and the Justice Department have been in court to hash out what remedies might look like. Tech Policy Press associate editor Cristiano Lima-Strong spoke to two experts who are following the case closely, including Karina Montoya, a senior reporter and analyst for Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute, and Joseph Coniglio, the director of antitrust and innovation at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).

Last year, Elon Musk's xAI set up its "Colossus" supercomputer in an old Electrolux manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, the residents of nearby neighborhoods are pushing for facts and fair treatment as the company looks to expand its footprint amid questions about its environmental impact. Justin Hendrix considers the state of play with Dara Kerr, a reporter for The Guardian; Amber Sherman, a Memphis activist; and artifacts from local media reporting over the past year.

Catherine Bracy is a civic technologist and community organizer whose work focuses on the intersection of technology and political and economic inequality. Justin Hendrix spoke with her about her new book, World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy. In it, she suggests how the venture capital industry must be reformed to deliver true innovation that advances society rather than merely outsized returns for an increasingly monolithic set of investors.

From visions of AI paradise to the project to defeat death, many dangerous and unscientific ideas are driving Silicon Valley leaders. Justin Hendrix spoke to Adam Becker, a science journalist and author of MORE EVERYTHING FOREVER: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity, just out from Basic Books.

For a special series of episodes that will air throughout the year, Tech Policy Press fellow Anika Collier Navaroli is hosting a series of discussions intended to help us imagine possible futures—for tech and tech policy, for democracy, and society—beyond the moment we are in. Dubbed Through to Thriving, the first episode in the series features a discussion on how to build community and solidarity with Ellen Pao, currently the co-founder of a nonprofit called Project Include, which focuses on advancing diversity and inclusion in the tech sector. Previously, Pao was the interim CEO of Reddit and a venture capitalist.