Episodes
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Big Tech’s top races to watch, PM Mark Carney on AI
AI has been a big topic in midterm campaigns and coverage, but few races are actually referendums on the technology. That means the direction of tech policy may not differ so much, depending on who wins in Tuesday’s elections, as our reporters explain. Plus, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney...
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AI safety advocates ask Newsom for special session; AG races to watch in the midterms
National AI safety advocates are warning California Gov. Gavin Newsom not to blow what they see as his last window to shore up his state’s AI regulations before a presidential election cycle that may be defined by the technology — and one where he could be running. Plus, Voters in Texas, Nevada,...
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Rohit Chopra’s AI nightmare; Meta faces new trial on social media addiction in LA
Rohit Chopra knows the makings of an economic crisis when he sees one. And Chopra — a top consumer protection watchdog under Joe Biden who was ousted by Donald Trump — thinks the current administration is ill-prepared to handle the fallout of a possible AI bubble. Plus, jury selection continues…
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The billionaires bankrolling a record wealth tax fight; Open AI's midterms war room
illionaire opponents of California’s proposed wealth tax have spent more fighting it than they ever have on a political cause in the state, according to a Decoded by POLITICO analysis. Plus, Decoded by Politico can exclusively report that Open AI I is standing up an election “war room” ahead of…
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Pricing Anthropic’s end-of-world risk
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned investors that his lab’s AI models could threaten humanity as he prepares for what may be the largest initial public offering of all time, but Wall Street isn't as concerned about the extensional risk of AI, yet investors are likely to focus on risks with clearer...
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Potential AI lawsuits worry business leaders; leading AI super PACs go dark
CEOs outside the tech world are racing to integrate AI into their businesses as they prepare for the dawn of a new economy. But they’ve been slower to establish guardrails — potentially exposing them to multi-million-dollar claims. Plus, after months of pouring money into the midterms, rival AI...
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Why Silicon Valley is watching Brazil’s election, David Shor on AI bubble
Sunday’s run-off vote in Brazil won’t just decide the fate of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Bolsonaro clan with which he has sparred for the last decade. It may also determine the future of one of Silicon Valley’s top overseas boogeymen, in Latin America’s largest market. Brazil’s...
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Peter Thiel criticizes Trump policy in exclusive recordings
Peter Thiel does not support the Trump administration’s war in Iran, he told a private, assembled audience in Nashville on October 12. In today’s episode of Decoded, hosts Calder McHugh and Brendan Bordelon discuss exclusive recordings of Peter Thiel’s lecture series on the Antichrist, and how...
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The vibe shift comes for Bitcoin’s bad boys
With Trump’s own crypto interests looming over the industry and Democrats poised for a return to power, crypto’s founding rebels are confronting an uncomfortable reality: The movement that set out to upend the financial establishment is becoming part of it. For more news and analysis, subscribe…
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Sergey Brin’s huge spending spree to defeat the billionaire tax
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who once called government a “giant bonfire of partisanship” and spent years on the political sidelines, has emerged as a force in the midterms — and it could signal more to come from the centibillionaire. This year alone, Brin spent an unprecedented $100 million —...
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The tech industry is GOP-coded
American voters across the political spectrum now assume most tech CEOs are conservative, according to new results from The POLITICO Poll. The results, first revealed in Decoded, could complicate not only the prospects of Republicans trying to break from Donald Trump in the midterms or 2028 amid...
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Is Europe struggling with an AI identity crisis?
As U.S. tech giants worry about the power of their advanced AI models, they are pressing governments around the world for new rules that would slow them down. But Europe, fearful of missing the next wave of innovation, doesn’t want to hear it. And at this week’s International AI Summit in Dublin,...
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Microsoft’s president warns the White House
Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith delivered a broadside Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s push to block the path to permanent residency for highly-skilled immigrants, warning the White House that its plan could cripple the U.S. tech sector for over a generation in an…
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Are Wall Street vibes shifting on AI?
The Big Bank earnings calls that kicked off Tuesday offer a preview for how CEOs are couching their optimism to account for the financial realities that will shape the industry’s future. Plus, a Democratic candidate for governor unveiled a new AI safety plan aiming at protecting young children…
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Dems widen war on AI
A new super PAC created by two longtime Democratic operatives is launching its “opening salvo” this week, spending $4 million across four key House races to portray Republicans as beholden to the artificial intelligence lobby, Decoded can exclusively report. Plus, an exclusive interview with…
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The donation Ron Conway regrets, Anthropic's AI models go rogue (again)
Democratic megadonor and venture capitalist Ron Conway regrets funding an influential Big Tech political group that has fought strict AI rules, according to former Obama Press Secretary Jay Carney, who leads communications for Conway’s new AI policy initiative. Plus, The White House reaction on...
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The rise of the AI anxiety index
Silicon Valley is stressing over the uncertainty around how artificial intelligence will be regulated. Decoded spoke to SoFi CEO Anthony Noto about how he's preparing his businesses for an AI-driven economy. Plus, Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft would no longer be able to sponsor...
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What’s in Peter Thiel’s new Antichrist lecture?
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is sharpening his warnings about the Antichrist — which he sees as someone who could harm technological development — as AI races ahead and public concern over its risks grow, according to exclusive recordings obtained by Decoded. Plus, a top trade group for the...
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Inside AI safety's hottest club
Decoded got an inside look of The Curve, the invite-only conference last weekend that hosted of AI influence and offered a microcosm of the state of current global safety talks. We’ll also talk about potential presidential candidate Senator Ruben Gallego’s plans to regulate AI, and the new movies...
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AI industry reacts to Sam Altman's comments, AI leaders testify in New York City
The AI accelerationists are turning on OpenAI. Their calls for faster development and lighter-touch regulation are running up against a shifting, more pro-regulation stance from the ChatGPT maker and its chief executive, ratcheting up tensions just as the public’s frustration with the technology…
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Sam Altman on rogue AI, Anthropic, and getting money out of politics
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, says that he gets “ why AI has a really negative perception right now,” and doesn’t think a rebranding artificial intelligence to “super intelligence” will help. Decoded's Brendan Bordelon hears from Altman about his recent visit to the White House, how OpenAI’s...
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Welcome to Decoded by POLITICO
Decoded by POLITICO explores the people, policy battles and market forces shaping the future of technology around the world, drawing on POLITICO’s reporting to make sense of what’s happening and what comes next. Be sure to subscribe to the Decoded newsletter here. The first episode drops October 5!
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What’s behind Trump’s new Tech Force
The Trump administration launched the U.S. Tech Force this week, aiming to recruit 1,000 fellows with backgrounds in AI, cybersecurity and other high-tech fields into federal agencies. It’s the latest attempt to solve the government’s long-standing recruitment problem. But will this time be...
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Why Trump is fighting states over AI
President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social this week that he will sign an executive order aimed at banning state AI laws. The move will almost certainly appease Silicon Valley executives and anger some of his fellow Republicans — not to mention ignite a legal battle with state governments...
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Craig Newmark sees an AI bubble. It may not be a bust.
Craig Newmark is best known for shaping our digital past. As the founder of Craigslist, he was a pioneer in online classified advertising and lived the Silicon Valley dot-com bubble firsthand. These days, Newmark is donating his vast wealth to fight disinformation and cyber scams. On POLITICO…
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How AI is driving Trump’s energy agenda
Meeting the rising energy demands of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other emerging technologies is one of the big challenges facing the Trump administration. And Dario Gil, the undersecretary for science at the Energy Department, is one of the key officials searching for solutions…
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Rebroadcast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt on AI, Hollywood and owning your ‘digital self’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been called a “Luddite” and “anti-tech,” but the actor, filmmaker and entrepreneur insists he’s actually dazzled by artificial intelligence. He just has qualms with the tech companies building it, and how they’re compensating people for their work and data. On POLITICO...
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Why energy bills could be AI’s new political problem
Democrats logged big election wins this week in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City. And in some races, artificial intelligence — and specifically the energy data centers will consume — was a key issue for voters. As the tech industry spends billions of dollars to build out AI infrastructure,...
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The business case for governing AI
Tech companies are spending billions of dollars to build out their AI ambitions — with little clarity about how they’ll recoup their investments. Miriam Vogel, the CEO of the nonprofit EqualAI and former chair of the National AI Advisory Council, says the industry’s profitability depends in part…
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Signal’s Meredith Whittaker on AI hype and the end of privacy
Even if you don’t use Signal, you certainly remember Signalgate. That was the scandal in March when senior U.S. officials used a private messaging app to communicate about a military strike in Yemen — and included a journalist in the chat. It thrust Signal and Signal Foundation President Meredith...
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Why the latest U.S.-China tech fight may be the biggest yet
Tensions between the U.S. and China are inflamed yet again — with the tech sector in the crossfire. In the latest move, Beijing has threatened to restrict the trade of rare earth magnets and metals, which are critical for making high-tech products, from microchips to smartphones to electric...
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Meet Silicon Valley’s AI-obsessed mayor
A growing number of city governments are adopting artificial intelligence — and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wants to outpace all the rest. The former tech entrepreneur is pushing employees across Silicon Valley’s largest city to adopt the technology as a way of streamlining everything from bus…
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Coming to city near you: AI-powered government
The concept of "smart cities" — local governments that are digitized and automated — has been around for decades, but that bold vision hasn't quite materialized yet. Still, many cities are making a run at the idea, and they’re increasingly turning to artificial intelligence. On POLITICO Tech…
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AI, China, and the fight over free speech: Takeaways from POLITICO’s Tech Summit
POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit this week tackled major policy debates: the partisan fight over online speech after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, along with Washington’s efforts to fend off China — and California — in the U.S. quest for AI dominance. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sits down…
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What Anthropic’s big payout means for AI and copyright
Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to authors whose pirated books the company used to train its AI model, an eye-popping amount and one of the first big settlements of its kind. With so many copyright cases hanging out in the courts, could this be the first of many big payouts to come? On...
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Why AI companies are cutting Trump a deal
The federal government is buying artificial intelligence technology at deeply discounted rates — part of an effort to bring agencies into modern times. And for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, it’s a chance to get the government hooked on their products. On POLITICO Tech, Box CEO Aaron Levie...
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The next president’s AI problem
With mounting concerns about AI leading to job losses, policymakers are grappling with how to prepare workers for major changes ahead — and the disruption that has already begun. Bharat Ramamurti was the deputy director of the National Economic Council under President Joe Biden and, in a recent...
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An exit interview with Trump’s AI policy adviser
As a senior policy adviser in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dean Ball helped write President Donald Trump’s recently released AI Action Plan. This week, Ball left the administration and plans to continue shaping AI policy from outside the White House. On POLITICO Tech, Ball joins...
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Data will soon be less secure. What can Washington do?
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) was a tech adviser to President Barack Obama back when Washington was first grappling with artificial intelligence. Now, he’s introducing legislation this week with Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.) that aims to prepare the federal government for quantum computing, and how...
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Silicon Valley enters the space race
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin may garner lots of attention, but there are a growing number of tech companies now chasing commercial and defense opportunities in space. And they’re ratcheting up the competition for longtime contractors who sell to the federal government. On…
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Trump’s AI plan is a gift to Silicon Valley — with a catch
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump unveiled his AI Action Plan, which effectively outlines his strategy for keeping the U.S. at the forefront of artificial intelligence. And for the most part, it’s a gift to Silicon Valley — slashing AI regulation at the federal level and trying to halt it in…
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The Vatican’s AI battle
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly warned that artificial intelligence poses a danger to humanity. And as the U.S. and other governments turn away from regulating AI, the Catholic Church is emerging as a vocal skeptic on the world stage. One of the influential voices shaping those calls is Father Paolo...
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Do Americans need digital IDs?
There’s a power struggle between humanity and technology. And Vilas Dhar, president and trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, argues humanity coming out on top depends not just on regulation, but on people regaining agency vis-à-vis technology and a voice in how it is created. On…
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Apple’s China dilemma
Patrick McGee has written the definitive book on how Apple supercharged China’s development into a global manufacturing colossus and leveraged its relationship with Beijing to become one of the most iconic consumer tech brands in history. Now, the author of “Apple in China: The Capture of the...
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The Trumpification of the FCC
The Federal Communications Commission will meet today with a new Republican majority after the confirmation of former Capitol Hill staffer Olivia Trusty. That’s likely to boost Chair Brendan Carr’s Trump-approved agenda as he ramps up scrutiny of TV broadcasters and social media platforms over...
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt on AI, Hollywood and owning your ‘digital self’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been called a “Luddite” and “anti-tech,” but the actor, filmmaker and entrepreneur insists he’s actually dazzled by artificial intelligence. He just has qualms with the tech companies building it, and how they’re compensating people for their work and data. On POLITICO...
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Can the South win the AI race?
Mississippi is trying to position itself as the “Digital Delta” — a hub in the American South for artificial intelligence development and data centers. It’s one of many states that largely missed out on the internet boom and are now looking for AI to boost their local economy. On POLITICO Tech,...
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The Republican case against Trump’s research cuts
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is big on investing in research in cutting-edge technologies, especially artificial intelligence and biotechnology. But lately, that’s put him in a position of pushing back against the leader of his own party, President Donald Trump, who has imposed steep and swift cuts…
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Trump’s crypto conflicts, explained
Vice President JD Vance told a crypto conference this week that the industry “finally has a champion and an ally in the White House.” And, he’s right. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has largely reversed the industry’s fortunes in Washington. But the industry’s fortunes are now…
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The ‘big, beautiful bill' to ban state AI laws
House Republicans narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill, including a provision that would block states from enforcing new AI regulations for a decade. The proposal, which now heads to the Senate, has backing from industry but faces fierce opposition from...
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Decoded by POLITICO explores the people, policy battles and market forces shaping the future of technology around the world, drawing on POLITICO’s reporting to make sense of what’s happening and what comes next.
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