AI Safety Goes Mainstream
An Anthropic researcher's viral resignation post last week set off a maelstrom of fear around extreme AI risks. Aalok and Nicole discuss the resulting vibe shift and how frontier labs are responding.
Podcast profile
The AI Policy Podcast
By Center for Strategic and International Studies
Join CSIS’s Aalok Mehta, Director of the Wadhwani AI Center, on a deep dive into the world of AI policy. CSIS is a bipartisan think tank in Washington, D.C.
Latest episode
AI Safety Goes Mainstream
48 min
- Cadence
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 45 min
- Latest release
- Sep 17
- Language
- EN
- Activity
- Current — released within 30 days
Podcast Classification
Topics
Technology Regulation
Laws, regulation, antitrust, standards, and public policy governing technology.
AI Governance
Public policy, institutional controls, accountability, and governance for artificial intelligence.
Semiconductors
Chip design, fabrication, semiconductor markets, packaging, and manufacturing ecosystems.
Formats
Interview
Host-led conversation where a guest supplies most of the subject matter.
Commentary & Analysis
Interpretation, opinion, debate, review, and analytical discussion.
Audience level
Intermediate
Assumes basic technology literacy and familiarity with common products, roles, and terminology.
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Episodes shown — 10 of 25
Decoding State-Level Regulation with Jason Elliott
This week, Aalok is joined by Jason Elliott, the former Deputy Chief of Staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom, for a conversation about regulating AI at the state level.
METR Investigates OpenAI-Hugging Face Incident and California Legislature Advances IVO Framework
This week, we unpack findings from METR's six-day investigation of the OpenAI-Hugging Face cyber incident. We also discuss an IVO bill passed by the California Legislature, Bill Gates' take on the current moment in AI, and a federal judge striking down Anthropic's supply chain risk designation.
Responding to AI Agent Containment Failures with CSET's Helen Toner, LawAI's Mackenzie Arnold & CSIS's Matt Pearl
This episode cross-posts a panel from the event "AI Agent Containment Failures: Technical Realities and Policy Responses," co-hosted by the Wadhwani AI Center and the Institute for Law and AI on August 24.
OpenAI Pauses RL Training and Anthropic Adds Watermarks to AI-Generated Text
This week, we cover updates from the ongoing cyber saga, including OpenAI's two-week pause on RL training and the cyber capabilities of Z AI's latest model GLM-5.3. We also unpack Anthropic's move to add watermarks to text generated by Claude in compliance with the EU AI Act.
Planning for the AI-Powered Economy with Windfall's Adrian Brown
In this episode, we're joined by Adrian Brown, founder and CEO of Windfall Trust, for a conversation about the economic impacts of AI.
The AI Policy Podcast Trailer
Join CSIS’s Aalok Mehta, Director of the Wadhwani AI Center, on a deep dive into the world of AI policy. CSIS is a bipartisan think tank in Washington, D.C.
Three More AI Hacking Incidents, and a Push to 'Pace the Frontier'
In this episode, we touch on Texas' new verification and audit requirement for data center developers seeking connection to the state's grid (1:11) before unpacking Anthropic's disclosure of three incidents in which its models hacked into another company during internal cyber evaluations (11:02).
A Deep Dive Into IVOs with Fathom's Bri Treece
In this episode, we're joined by Fathom co-founder and President Bri Treece for a conversation about third-party solutions to AI governance.
Japan's Take on AI Sovereignty with Hiroki Habuka
In this episode, we're joined by Hiroki Habuka for a conversation about Japan's approach to AI sovereignty. We discuss how the Japanese government defines sovereign AI (1:08) and how that definition shifted following the Trump Administration's move to block foreign access to Anthropic's Fable in June (7:58).