Carnegie Council Podcasts

In this episode of the Artificial Intelligence & Equality podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kasperson is joined by Hertie School's Professor Joanna Bryson to discuss the intersection of computational, cognitive, and behavioral sciences, and AI. The conversation delves into the intricate ways these fields converge to shape intelligent systems and the ethical dimensions of this emerging technology. Drawing on her academic background and practical experiences, Bryson provides valuable insights into the cognitive aspects of AI development and its societal impacts. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/aiei-bryson This podcast was recorded on September 26, 2023.

In today’s digitized world, our lives inexorably intertwine with cyberspace. We are exposed to damaging cyberattacks by foreign actors, local criminal gangs, and other nefarious entities. U.S. Naval War College’s Derek Reveron and Brown University’s John E. Savage join "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss their new book "Security in the Cyber Age" and how we can protect ourselves online. How can we mitigate the harmful effects of AI? What are governments around the globe doing to secure individual user rights? For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/doorstep-reveron-savage

Today, eight of the world's most populous countries, or about 4 billion people, are led by politicians 70 years of age, or older. "Wall Street Journal" reporter Jon Emont joins "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss the systems and structures that keep aging leaders in power in both autocracies and democracies. What do we lose when generational change is stifled? Can the world effectively address 21st century crises from pandemics, to melting ice caps, to technological advances with 20th century frameworks? Are we reaching a tipping point? For more, please go to: carnegiecouncil.co/doorstep-emont

How can Global South and Global North nations collaborate more effectively? What roadblocks hinder joint action on crucial issues such as security, development, climate, and AI? How can ethical reflection and engagement pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable multilateralism? In the inaugural panel of Carnegie Council’s “Unlocking Cooperation” series, moderator Ramu Damodaran discusses these pressing questions and more with leading experts. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/global-south-north

One of the core ethical and legal imperatives in warfare is the protection of civilians. With the vast majority of armed conflicts in the world today occurring between state and non-state actors, this has led to ambiguity around traditional battlefield lines, what laws apply, and who is viewed as liable to harm. This virtual panel explored emerging ethical and legal questions surrounding the humanization of warfare, touching on issues of international law, just war, and how civilian protection can hinge on how we label a conflict. The event builds upon an essay published by Georgetown Law’s Professor Mitt Regan, who moderated the discussion, in the most recent issue of Ethics & International Affairs, the quarterly journal of Carnegie Council. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/humanization-warfare

In this probing discussion with Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel, Brianna Rosen, senior fellow at "Just Security" and the University of Oxford, discusses what we know (and what we don't) about Israel's use of AI in the war in Gaza and explains the fraught relationship between algorithmic decisions, transparency, and accountability. She also looks back at the last two decades of the U.S. drone strike program for clues about what the future of AI warfare might mean for justice and human rights. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/podcast-brianna-rosen

Which is more dangerous, open source AI or large language models and other forms of generative AI totally controlled by an oligopoly of corporations? Will open access to building generative AI models make AI more democratic? What other approaches to ensuring generative AI is safe and democratic are available? Carnegie-Uehiro Fellow Wendell Wallach and Elizabeth Seger, director of the CASM digital policy research hub at Demos, discuss these questions and more in this Artificial Intelligence & Equality podcast. For more from Seger, read her recent article on AI democratization: https://carnegiecouncil.co/aiei-seger For more on this podcast, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/aiei-podcast-seger

As we begin to see the effects of AI on the American political process and society, where will this trajectory lead? In their new novel 2054, the follow-up to 2034, authors Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis imagine a moment when a radical leap forward in technology combines with America’s violent partisan divide to create an existential threat to the country, and the world. How will the world’s great powers react in a new era of scientific discovery? In this virtual book talk three years after their discussion on 2034, Ackerman, Stavridis, and Doorstep co-hosts Nikolas Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin discuss AI, biotech, geopolitics, and a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/doorstep-2054

Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, joins Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss how culture influences the global battle between democracies and autocracies. What role do writers, artists, and scholars play in geopolitics and global diplomacy? How can national and international institutions develop stronger programs to protect creator voices? What do we lose if we fail to do so? For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/doorstep-nossel

In his speech at Carnegie Council, the UK Home Secretary, the Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, outlined the range of opportunities and challenges faced by countries as a consequence of migration, calling for increased cooperation and innovation in addressing this global issue. The Home Secretary's address was followed by a fireside chat and audience Q&A moderated by Joel Rosenthal, President of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/uk-home-secretary

Ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, McGill University's Maria Popova and Tufts University's Oxana Shevel, co-authors of Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories and Diverging States, join Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss shifting Ukraine-Russia war narratives and expectations. How can Ukraine continue to rally support and challenge rising sentiment that Russia is "unstoppable"? What more can the media do to broaden perspectives and counter disinformation? What can we expect for Ukraine over the next year? For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/doorstep-popova-shevel

In this episode, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen speaks with Sam Gregory, executive director of WITNESS and a leading voice in human rights and civic journalism. Their discussion delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by synthetic data, AI-generated media, and deepfakes. Gregory discusses his pioneering "Prepare, Don't Panic" campaign and shares insights from his TED talk, "When AI Can Fake Reality, Who Can You Trust?" He emphasizes the importance of watermarking for data provenance and tackles the role of authenticity in today's digital landscape. The conversation also covers the pressing need for global standards in AI governance and the rise of digital authoritarianism. Gregory's reflections on recent trends and his vision for 2024 offer a compelling call to action for responsible human rights engagement in our increasingly digital world. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/aiei-sam-gregory

Today, communities are experiencing the effects of the widespread adoption by law enforcement of data fusion technology: automated software for correlating and fusing surveillance data from a growing web of sources. Though this technology has received scant attention compared to other novel forms of surveillance, its civil liberties implications are grave. This virtual panel discussion explores the impact of data fusion and examines critical ethical questions around its development and use. This panel was moderated by Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel and featured an exclusive unveiling of a new educational tool to map the effects of data fusion. This tool can be accessed at https://accelerator.carnegiecouncil.org/data-fusion/ The transcript and full video of this panel discussion can be found at: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/video/data-fusion-freedom-security-human-rights

Nahal Toosi, senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico, returns to The Doorstep to discuss how chaos in domestic politics is weakening the United States on the world stage. How are far right Republicans undermining Secretary of State Antony Blinken's negotiations with Israel? What is the fate of President Biden's once heavily promoted omnipolicy or "foreign policy for the middle class"? Will there be another major black swan foreign policy crisis in 2024 that further upends U.S. standing? For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/the-doorstep-nahal-toosi

In this "Ethical Article," Professor Abiodun Williams writes that the international order is facing a period of unusual turbulence and that "order with justice is an urgent imperative in our times." To read this article, please go to carnegiecouncil.co/3ShAk2c.

This Carnegie Council special event features a roundtable conversation with author Peter Osnos on human rights, security, and the legacy of the Helsinki Accords. Osnos is the founder of the publishing house PublicAffairs and is a former correspondent and editor for The Washington Post. His latest book is titled Would You Believe . . . The Helsinki Accords Changed the World? This event took place at Carnegie Council on January 24, 2024. For more, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

Women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide. According to the latest United Nations data, only 11.3 percent of countries have women heads of state, and 9.8 percent have women heads of government. Representation at ministerial and local levels is higher but nowhere near parity leading to missing voices in national policymaking. With the globe enflamed in multiple crises from wars to climate disasters, new frameworks for cooperation are needed. In the new English translation of her book on feminist foreign policy, activist and political scientist Kristina Lunz seeks to define what an innovative approach to global diplomacy looks like. How can this inclusive, visionary policy become a reality? In this virtual book talk, Lunz and Doorstep co-hosts Tatiana Serafin and Nikolas Gvosdev discuss a new paradigm for foreign policy, which re-envisions a country’s national interests by prioritizing equality and shifting the focus from the state to the individual. For more, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

This special episode features Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen in conversation with University College London's Professor Geoff Mulgan. They reflect on the year 2023, delve into trends shaping technology's impact on society, and discuss the critical interplay between science, governance, and power dynamics. Mulgan, renowned for his work on technology's societal implications, shares insights from his varied career in policy, academia, and technology. They explore the evolving landscape of AI and its broader societal implications and the "billionaire problem," which underscores the urgent need for informed leadership and innovative institutional design in navigating these transformative times. For more, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

In this Ethical Article, Visiting Fellow Zhanna L. Malekos Smith writes that quantum technology could usher in a "new era of computation." How can states, international institutions, and industries prepare? To read this article, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

Judah Grunstein, editor-in-chief of World Politics Review, joins Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin for his annual review of global power shifts. With military and social conflicts pressuring nation-states, Grunstein discusses the fracturing, power vacuums, and identitarianism that will re-shape international politics in 2024. With nearly half the globe headed to the polls, major changes are on the horizon. How will migration and extreme weather impact electorate demands? To what extent will organized labor shift economic paradigms? Will the Global South finally gain more influence vis-à-vis the Global North? For more, please go to: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/series/the-doorstep/nation-state-survive-2024-judah-grunstein