POLITICO Tech

POLITICO

The POLITICO Tech podcast is your download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. New episodes on Thursdays.

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1,037 episodes
Updated Dec 18, 2025

Episodes1037

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Jun 21, 2024 · 14 min
The rocky road ahead for New York’s new social media law
Children’s advocates often compare social media to cigarettes, arguing platforms like YouTube and TikTok are addictive and harmful. That’s led to an increasing number of states passing laws aimed at curtailing their influence on young users. On Thursday, New York became the latest. But signing the law doesn’t actually make it a done deal. POLITICO tech reporter Rebecca Kern joins host Steven Overly to break down the latest.
Jun 20, 2024 · 18 min
How much energy does AI use? A lot, actually
Artificial intelligence consumes a lot of energy. Exactly how much is hard to say, because AI companies keep much of that information hidden – a practice that some policymakers and activists are trying to change. On today's episode of Politico Tech, Steven Overly called up Jesse Dodge to better understand the energy and climate cost behind generative AI. Dodge is a senior research scientist at the Allen Institute for AI in Seattle, who not only develops large language models, he also studies the
Jun 18, 2024 · 14 min
Elon Musk wants to end electronic voting machines. Is that even possible?
Elon Musk sparked much debate with a post on X saying the U.S. “should eliminate electronic voting machines.” But is that even possible? Pamela Smith, the president and CEO of election integrity nonprofit Verified Voting, says it isn’t. Technology now permeates our elections far more than people realize, she says — though paper still matters, too. Smith joins POLITICO Tech to explain.
Jun 17, 2024 · 17 min
Why Silicon Valley’s Trump backers should worry Democrats
A small but growing number of tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and crypto enthusiasts are throwing their 2024 support behind former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden. And Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a progressive who represents a swath of Silicon Valley, warns Democrats shouldn’t take the liberal stronghold for granted. On POLITICO Tech, Khanna tells host Steven Overly why the Democratic defectors have him worried and how Biden should borrow from former President Barack Obama
Jun 14, 2024 · 29 min
Ex-Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer thinks numbers will save us
Steve Ballmer has made his fortune as the former CEO of Microsoft and owner of the LA Clippers. But his nonprofit USAFacts is trying to make government data more consumable, a mission driven by the belief that numbers are the antidote to political disinformation and partisan policymaking. On POLITICO Tech, Ballmer talks with host Steven Overly about his latest effort to convince politicians to follow the facts, as well as artificial intelligence, the election and why he's not donating to campaig
Jun 13, 2024 · 19 min
Four U.S. and Canadian tech execs talk AI
POLITICO Tech went to Toronto for the U.S.-Canada Summit, hosted by BMO Financial Group and Eurasia Group. Host Steven Overly moderated a discussion on how the neighbors are competing and cooperating when it comes to artificial intelligence, with Cohere COO Martin Kon, OpenAI vice president of government affairs Anna Makanju, IBM chief privacy and trust officer Christina Montgomery and Radical Ventures co-founder and managing partner Jordan Jacobs. On the show today, key takeaways from that conv
Jun 12, 2024 · 19 min
REBROADCAST: Why one ‘godfather of AI’ warns humans must exert control
Host Steven Overly is in Canada this week for The US-Canada Summit, hosted by BMO Financial Group and Eurasia Group — and it got him thinking about another Canadian who's been on the podcast before: Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio. Bengio has been dubbed one of the “godfathers of AI,” although he’s not exactly thrilled about the title. Still, Bengio devoted most of his professional life to making AI smarter. But now, he wants to prevent AI from destroying humanity. On POLITICO Tech, Be
Jun 11, 2024 · 15 min
The EU election results — and what they mean for tech policy
After the EU elections over the weekend, the continent’s politics seems to be shifting. So what does that mean for tech? Host Steven Overly talked with Politico EU tech reporter Clothilde Goujard to break down the results and decode what to watch for next.
Jun 10, 2024 · 13 min
Trump is blowing up on TikTok. Will Republicans soon join him?
Former President Donald Trump is in his second week on TikTok, and already soaring past President Joe Biden in both followers and views. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's having more influence. Or that other Republicans will rush to join TikTok, a platform many have called a national security threat. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly called up Republican digital strategist Eric Wilson to make sense of it all.
Jun 7, 2024 · 16 min
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s big bet on climate tech
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says climate tech is all opportunity, no hype. That’s why she wants to pour $1 billion into the sector over the next decade, along with as much federal money as she can get from President Joe Biden’s climate legislation. On POLITICO Tech, Healey joins host Steven Overly after speaking at The ClimaTech Conference this week to defend her bet on climate tech and explain why she fears former President Donald Trump could undermine it all.
Jun 6, 2024 · 19 min
Whose voice is it anyway? When AI comes for the rich and famous
What do Scarlett Johansson, Bette Midler and Johnny Carson have in common? All three have been at the center of controversies over the impersonation of famous people — and tested the limits of what U.S. will allow. On POLITICO Tech, George Mason University Law School professor Sandra Aistars breaks down the legal precedent on celebrity impersonation, and what that means in an AI world.
Jun 5, 2024 · 18 min
'The death of truth' — and how to save it
Disinformation and conspiracies that run rampant online, and the business models that fund them, have created a world in which people no longer agree on a shared set of facts. That was the impetus behind, “The Death of Truth,” a new book written by NewsGuard co-CEO Steven Brill. On POLITICO Tech, Brill tells host Steven Overly how he thinks the truth can be saved.
Jun 4, 2024 · 21 min
Inside India’s big, long, AI-filled election
India’s election finally came to a close last night. But the long campaign brought out some of the most novel and bizarre examples yet of generative artificial intelligence in politics, from personalized robocalls to deepfakes of deceased politicians. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks to Oxford University scholar Amogh Dhar Sharma about India’s unique political culture and whether it offers a lesson for future elections.
Jun 3, 2024 · 27 min
Why a top European official went to Silicon Valley on the eve of a major election
European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová has been on the road talking about disinformation and foreign interference ahead of the European Union elections later this week. And that “Democracy Tour” took Jourová to California last week for meetings with tech CEOs about their role in the fight. On today’s POLITICO Tech, Jourová explains what she learned during her Silicon Valley visit and whether she’s feeling confident as voters head to the polls.
May 31, 2024 · 17 min
The Silicon Valley agitator now setting his sights on Washington
Garry Tan, the CEO of startup accelerator YCombinator, has made waves in San Francisco politics, helping to oust the city’s most liberal politicians in favor of more centrist Democrats. Now, the tech-entrepreneur-turned-political-changemaker is turning his attention to Washington. On today's Politico Tech, host Steven Overly talks with Tan about exactly what he wants out of Washington.
May 30, 2024 · 16 min
Schools are dealing with a wave of AI-generated fake nudes
Schools across the country are grappling with a new kind of harassment: generative artificial intelligence being used to create sexually explicit images and videos of students and teachers. States have passed a patchwork of laws to deal with the issue, but so far federal lawmakers have yet to act. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Dana Nickel and host Steven Overly break down the uneven legal landscape and discuss the victims who suffer as a result.
May 29, 2024 · 19 min
How AI could rewrite history in documentaries
Artificial intelligence can do more than shape the future; it could also rewrite the past. AI-generated images and videos are now finding their way into documentary films, and the recently formed Archival Producers Alliance wants to set some ground rules. On POLITICO Tech, archival producers Rachel Antell and Stephanie Jenkins join host Steven Overly to discuss their concerns with AI muddying the historical record.
May 28, 2024 · 15 min
The secret government program getting billions in CHIPS money
Congress allocated $39 billion to subsidize microchip manufacturing, part of President Joe Biden pledge to revive a dormant U.S. industry. Then, a backroom deal led to a chunk of that money being funneled into a furtive government program â€”- one quietly backed by national security agencies and a major technology company. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Christine Mui tells us all about “Secure Enclave.”
May 24, 2024 · 22 min
Internet blackouts are increasing — here's why
Dozens of governments around the globe cut their citizens off from the internet in 2023 — the worst year for such internet shutdowns since digital rights group Access Now began tracking them. It’s a trend that could have major consequences in 2024 as many countries hold elections, and as wars persist in Ukraine and Gaza. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks to Access Now Executive Director Brett Solomon about the reasons for these shutdowns and why he thinks they violate a “superhuman righ
May 23, 2024 · 16 min
How did Colorado pass an AI law? We asked the guy who wrote it.
Colorado is the first state in the nation with major artificial intelligence regulations on the books. Starting in 2026, consumers will be notified when "high-risk” models are used to make important decisions about them. Colorado’s Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez — the guy who pushed the bill through — tells POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly how the law got over the finish line and why there’s still a fight ahead.