This Does Not Compute CSIS

In the last episode of the podcast, host Jim Lewis talks to Arun Gupta, a venture capitalist, lecturer, entrepreneur and author of ‘Venture Meets Mission’. They discuss the landscape of venture capital and government collaboration, tech innovation and overcoming a risk-averse culture.

Byron Tau joins the podcast to discuss his new book “Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New Surveillance State,” which reveals the shadowy networks of ad-tech startups, data brokers, and government contractors that share or sell sensitive personal information. Tau and Caitlin Chin-Rothmann discuss how private companies and government agencies are analyzing patterns in movement history, financial transactions, and social media communications—and how these actions might implicate privacy and civil liberties in the United States.

In this episode Jim Lewis speaks to former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly about the future of spectrum allocation, the outcomes of the World Radio Conference, and how the U.S. can still strike a balance between innovation and safeguarding national security.

In this episode, Joan O’Hara and Miranda Lutz of the XR Association join host Caitlin Chin-Rothmann to discuss how immersive technologies could transform a range of sectors, including healthcare, defense, education, and gaming. Joan and Miranda explain why the United States needs a national XR strategy to support research and development, promote digital literacy and awareness, and increase regulatory certainty around data privacy.

In this episode, Jim Lewis and Caitlin Chin-Rothmann talk to Mark MacCarthy about his new book “Regulating Digital Industries: How Public Oversight Can Encourage Competition, Protect Privacy, and Ensure Free Speech.” They discuss the need for a new regulatory body for digital platforms, the future business model of the internet, and why 2025 will be the year of tech regulation.

Caitlin Chin-Rothmann sits down with Dr. Courtney C. Radsch, director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute, to discuss the state of the news media in an evolving technological landscape. Caitlin and Courtney cover recent developments related to Canada’s Online News Act, the California Journalism Preservation Act, and the U.S. Journalism and Competition Preservation Act, as well as responses from Meta and Google. In addition, they consider how the rapid adoption of generative AI could potentially affect journalists and the sustainability of news.