TechTank

There is talk of “unleashing AI” and removing burdensome regulations on its use within the new Trump administration. Staff members associated with the Department of Government Efficiency are using AI to analyze agency operations, gaining extraordinary access to government data. In this episode, co-host Darrell West speaks with Professor Allison Stanger on how DOGE is using AI in government and the risks presented by its access to government information.

After The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief revealed he was inadvertently added to a group chat with high-ranking national security officials on the commercial app Signal, there have been widespread discussions and concerns about how government officials communicate sensitive information. Co-host, Nicol Turner Lee, speaks to Brookings’ experts Stephanie Pell and Scott Anderson on this story’s implications for cybersecurity and privacy under the Trump administration.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a new Chair, Brendan Carr, and his priorities are quickly taking shape. The FCC is responsible for universal access to communications. Hear from former FCC Chair, Tom Wheeler, on the power of the chairmanship to shape the future priorities for American consumers and businesses, and what's in store for the independent agency under the Trump administration.

African Americans have had long standing impacts in the field of innovation as inventors to entrepreneurs. In this episode, we will talk to serial entrepreneurs Erin Horne McKinney and John Pasmore to share how Black Tech founders are advancing their ideas, while navigating barriers that limit access to capital and relevant networks.

To ban or not to ban the social media app, Tik Tok? This has been the question since President Trump’s first term in office, largely due to a host of national security concerns. The recent extension to the ban for identifying a U.S.-based buyer may have saved the app for online users but was it an overreach of Trump’s power. In this episode, guests discuss the implications for the future of Tik Tok in the U.S.

By 2050, Africa will be home to 25% of the world’s population with more than $16 trillion in combined business and consumer spending. The dividends of innovation must be part of the continent’s growth, as well as the global digital economy. On this episode of the TechTank podcast, co-host and Brookings fellow, Chinasa Okolo, speaks with author and Brookings Senior Fellow, Landry Signé about his new book, Realizing Africa’s Potential: A Journey to Potential.

Congress has not passed many bills on the emerging digital economy. But that does not mean nothing is happening policy-wise. At the state level, there were 238 new pieces of regulatory legislation, according to a new report from New York University. That is a 163 percent increase over 2023. New laws cover AI, non-consensual sexual imagery, political deepfakes, and copyright protection, among other topics. Joining us today is one of the authors of that report. Scott Brennen is the director of the NYU Center on Technology Policy. Darrell M. West and he will discuss why state lawmaking has accelerated and areas such as AI, non-consensual sexual imagery, political deepfakes, and copyright protection where bills have passed. They also will consider the state outlook for 2025.

The digital world has become a dangerous place. We have seen foreign entities burrow intotelecom networks and extract highly confidential information. There have been hacks of vitalinfrastructure, ransomware attacks, and thefts of sensitive data bases. The Biden Administration sought to deal with emerging threats by defending criticalinfrastructure, disrupting threat actors, use market forces to improve security, and forginginternational partnerships.What remains to be seen, though, is how many of these initiatives will be maintained by the newTrump Administration. How the new president handles cybersecurity is an important topicbecause a CyberNews study recently found 65 percent of American companies scored a D orworse on cybersecurity and only 7 percent earned an A. It is clear that we all need to do a betterjob on protecting our digital assets.To help us understand these issues, Brookings colleagues Stephanie Pell and Darrell M. Westways to safeguard critical infrastructure, disrupt threat actors, and use market forces to improvesecurity and the manner in which Trump may move on cybersecurity.

Donald Trump's election could set the stage for a sweeping policy overhaul, fueled by ambitious plans to make the United States the crypto capital of the world. From a potential national Bitcoin reserve to pro-crypto regulatory leadership, the sector is gearing up for a transformative period. With a Republican-controlled Congress and big industry campaign contributions in the 2024 election, the stakes are set for dramatic changes in crypto-policy and the overall crypto-landscape.This week on the TechTank Podcast, co-hosts Darrell West is joined by Aaron Klein, a Senior Fellow at the Center on Regulation and Markets at the Brookings Institution to discuss if the U.S will become the crypto capital of the world.