TechTank
Brookings Institution
TechTank is a biweekly podcast from The Brookings Institution exploring the most consequential technology issues of our time. From artificial intelligence and racial bias in algorithms, to Big Tech, the future of work, and the digital divide, TechTank takes abstract ideas and makes them accessible. Moderators Dr. Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West speak with leading technology experts and policymakers to share new data, ideas, and policy solutions to address the challenges of our new digital world. Sign up to receive the TechTank newsletter for more research and analysis from the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 5, 2026 • 26min
Addressing 'insider' AI agents with Camille Stewart Gloster
Organizations are quickly adopting agentic systems that introduce new and complex governance challenges, yet few have the necessary rules in place to account for when something goes wrong. Still, even in the absence of federal legislation, enterprises and individuals must understand the technology, its limitations, and how to control it. In this episode, co-host Nicol Turner Lee is joined by author Camille Stewart Gloster to discuss these governance questions and her new book, “The Insider You Built: How Organizations Stay in Control of Autonomous AI Agents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 21, 2026 • 38min
Weighing the existential risks of AI and the proposals to prevent them
Bill Galston, a Brookings political theorist and governance scholar, joins Tom Wheeler, former FCC chairman and technology policy expert, to examine AI’s most unsettling possibilities. They discuss autonomous systems, digital vulnerabilities, democratic oversight, delayed regulation, independent evaluators, safety certification, and the uneasy race with China. Military and civilian rules, business accountability, and international cooperation also enter the debate.
Sep 7, 2026 • 34min
Bans on screen time will uniquely affect students of color
Conversations about the importance of getting children access to technology have morphed into efforts to remove devices from the classroom and restrict kids’ access to social media. Yet, the discussions leading up to these bans frequently lack participation from youth and an assessment of cultural norms. In this episode, Nicol Turner Lee is joined by Meisha Porter, Desmond Upton Patton, and Ashley Stewart to address what this means for students of different demographics and how more informed approaches might look. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 17, 2026 • 32min
The guiding objective for addressing cyber risk
Rhea Siers, a cyber risk advisor with decades in U.S. intelligence and academia, and Diana Burley, a cybersecurity research leader at Brookings, discuss resilience in concentrated vendor ecosystems. They explore how common vendors amplify risk, research methods and themes like visibility and metrics. They cover trade-offs of consolidation, AI governance concerns, standards versus mandates, and practical steps to engineer adaptive defenses.
Aug 4, 2026 • 43min
AI and toddlers: The impacts on early development
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychologist who studies early language and play, and Sweta Shah, an early childhood and tech policy expert, explore AI’s rise around babies and toddlers. They discuss why AI toys may be risky, how play builds the brain, promising learning uses for neurodiverse and multilingual kids, design and industry responsibilities, equity and caregiving trade-offs, and potential policy and research priorities.
Jul 20, 2026 • 26min
The importance of investing in space infrastructure with Bridgit Mendler and Mariel Borowitz
The space economy is accelerating at a rapid pace with advances in space tourism, mining, exploration, communications, and defense, but to expand upon these activities, the U.S. needs to invest in ground stations and space infrastructure to help commercial firms take advantage of the growing opportunities. In this episode, co-host Darrell West is joined by Bridgit Mendler of Northwood Space and Mariel Borowitz of the Georgia Institute of Technology to discuss the importance of these investments and how the government can best support new advancements. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 6, 2026 • 29min
How robotics is reshaping manufacturing
Technological advances are reshaping manufacturing processes, and robotics, in particular, are important to improve efficiency and advance military preparedness. Yet there are questions about what robotics can do and what governments and businesses should be doing to accelerate these technologies. In this episode, co-host Darrell West is joined by Suzy Teele of the ARM Institute to discuss these questions and her work on advancing innovations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
27 snips
Jun 15, 2026 • 33min
How technology can help save democracy
Beth Simone Noveck, Northeastern professor and director of the Burns Center, is an expert on democratic innovation and digital government. She discusses why democracy needs a reboot. She explores redesigning institutions to enable routine public participation. She shows how AI can synthesize public input, improve voting access, and make government services more usable. She warns about concentrated AI power and the operational hurdles of adoption.
6 snips
May 4, 2026 • 22min
Maintaining privacy and security with connected cars
Ian Barlow, of counsel at Wiley and former FTC policy official specializing in connected car rules. He walks through how cars link via sensors and apps. He covers vehicle-to-vehicle comms, privacy and data-security risks, use of driving data in court, insurers’ telematics programs, supply-chain and right-to-repair tensions.
Apr 20, 2026 • 44min
How should we approach chatbots' mental health and privacy concerns?
Sydney Saubestre, a policy analyst on privacy and emerging tech, and Shae Gardner, a policy director for LGBTQ+ digital rights, discuss chatbots in health and companionship. They explore mental autonomy, sycophancy risks, bias and discrimination, privacy as agency, why bans can harm marginalized youth, and hopes for nuanced regulation and privacy-by-design.
