Tech Policy Podcast

Marshall Kosloff (The Realignment) discusses the abundance agenda—what it is, what it could achieve, how it applies in various policy areas, how to build a political coalition around it, how to implement it, and more.Topics include:Abundance of what?Energy policy: wtf is going onFixing defense procurementFixing state capacityBuilding an abundance coalitionCulture war forever?Abundance after the 2024 electionLinks:The RealignmentArsenal of DemocracyThe Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a FiascoThe White House Bet Big on Intel. Will It Backfire?(Still) Against DegrowthTech Policy Podcast 381: American Techno-Industrial Leadership — With Noah Smith

From April 12, 2022 (Episode 317): Alec Stapp discusses the work, goals, and philosophy of his innovative new think tank, Institute for Progress.Topics include:Metascience: the key field you’ve never heard ofTech industry 🤝 policy wonksAlec’s theory of changeHow to evangelize for progressBaby making music (j/k not j/k)The need for an abundance agendaLinks:Institute for Progress Tech Policy Podcast 381: American Techno-Industrial Leadership — With Noah Smith Tech Policy Podcast 327: The Collapse of Complex Societies — With Joseph Tainter

Paul Grewal (Coinbase) takes us on a deep dive into all aspects of crypto regulation, litigation, and legislation. A crossover episode with the Washington Legal Foundation / TechFreedom Tech in the Courts series.Topics include:The elevator pitch for cryptoSecurities law: it’s not the New Deal anymoreThe inconsistent SECSEC v. Coinbase / Coinbase v. SECOperation Choke Point 2.0The need for crypto legislationCentral bank digital currencies (are dumb)Satoshi Nakamoto: a $68 billion mysteryLinks:Keep Crypto FreeCoinbase’s Petition for Rulemaking to the SECOperation Choke Point 2.0 Is Underway, and Crypto Is in Its CrosshairsTech Policy Podcast 312: Web3

Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) provides a guided tour of the Supreme Court’s major questions doctrine.Topics include:Major questions: an introductionNo one knows what it means, but it’s provocativeIs major questions new?Stories we tell about CongressWelcome to the kludgeocracyPolitics vs. expertiseThe Supreme Court cannot save usLinks:West Virginia v. EPA: Sound and Fury, Signifying What?Tech Policy Podcast 311: Administrative Law, and Why You Should Care

Sayash Kapoor, a Princeton researcher, and Arvind Narayanan, a co-author focusing on AI capabilities, delve into the murky waters of AI risk predictions. They discuss the concept of 'AI Snake Oil'—how misleading claims can cloud our understanding of AI's true potential. The duo emphasizes that our predictions about the impact of AI are often chaotic and subjective. They argue for a reassessment of how we perceive AI's threats, advocating for policy measures that prioritize practical issues rather than apocalyptic fears, and encourage grounded conversations on AI's actual capabilities.

Geoff Manne (International Center for Law & Economics) and Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) discuss the many, many flaws in the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta (Facebook). A crossover episode with the Washington Legal Foundation / TechFreedom Tech in the Courts series.Topics include:- The ontology of Facebook- Social networking: it’s not 2008 anymore- The FTC’s made-up market- The WhatsApp Catch-22- Has Facebook been enshittified?- Product design by government: bad idea!- Growing startups: hard, actuallyLinks:The Feds Unfriend Facebook: Why the FTC’s Meta Antitrust Case Should FailTech Policy Podcast 357: The Amazon Antitrust CaseTech Policy Podcast 353: The Google Search Antitrust TrialTech Policy Podcast 302: Epic v. Apple

Corbin Barthold, Ari Cohn, and Santana Boulton from TechFreedom tackle recent Supreme Court cases impacting online speech. They dive into the implications of key rulings like Moody v. NetChoice, expressing concerns about legislating without accountability. Justice Kagan’s progressive stance surprisingly earns praise, while Justice Alito's frustrations are also highlighted. The trio debates the future of free speech amidst rising content moderation challenges, and they critically assess age-gating of adult content and its implications for First Amendment rights.

Is AI a miracle? A threat? Will it free us? Enslave us? Both? Neither? What’s the future of AI and governance? AI and art? AI and elections? AI and social media? AI and the economy? AI and the world?Welcome to the Tech Policy Podcast: AI and Everything. On this special episode, we present highlights from more than a year of conversations with leading experts on the state of the AI revolution.Featuring Adam Thierer, Samuel Hammond, Liza Lin, Arnold Kling, Brian Frye, Joseph Tainter, James Pethokoukis, Robert Atkinson, Alice Marwick, and Ari Cohn.Links:Tech Policy Podcast 327: The Collapse of Complex SocietiesTech Policy Podcast 337: China and Domestic SurveillanceTech Policy Podcast 346: Who’s Afraid of Artificial Intelligence?Tech Policy Podcast 355: Conservative FuturismTech Policy Podcast 361: AI, Art, Copyright, and the Life of BrianTech Policy Podcast 363: AI and ElectionsTech Policy Podcast 369: AI and State CapacityTech Policy Podcast 375: Tech Facts and FallaciesTech Policy Podcast 377: AI and Wicked Problems

Noah Smith (Noahpinion Substack) discusses techno-industrial competition with China and Russia.Topics include:American industry: we’re #2 :( Allies: no longer a luxuryNEPA sucksA brief lesson about nickelThe death of state capacity: greatly exaggerated?Will information destroy liberalism?Clowns to the left, clowns to the rightHey, let’s *not* be divided and poorLinks:Noahpinion (Substack)People are realizing that the Arsenal of Democracy is goneHappy fun Cold War 2 updateThree holes in the U.S.’ economic strategy against ChinaHow liberal democracy might lose the 21st centuryLiberalism is losing the information war

Brandon Kirk Williams (Lawrence Livermore) discusses quantum computing—the science behind it, its potential applications, the geopolitics surrounding it, and more.Links:The U.S. Must Win the Quantum Computing Race. History Shows How to Do ItThe U.S. Needs a Strategy for the Second Quantum Revolution