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

Newest first

Oct 29, 2024 · 18 min
An election lawyer unpacks the legal scrutiny on Elon Musk’s voter sweepstakes
Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaways for swing-state voters have drawn scrutiny from federal and state law enforcement, though Musk denies the money is intended to drive voter registration. On POLITICO Tech, David Becker from the Center for Election Innovation and Research tells host Steven Overly why he thinks Musk is flouting the law, and how his political engagement both fits the mold and breaks new ground when it comes to billionaires on the campaign trail.
Oct 28, 2024 · 16 min
The waning days of Biden's AI policy
Election Day is (inescapably) just over a week away. But in its waning months, the Biden administration is still cranking out policy. In particular, President Biden put out guidelines late last week detailing how national security agencies should handle artificial intelligence, and stay ahead of China in the global race for the AI future. On today's show, POLITICO tech reporter Mohar Chatterjee breaks down what exactly Biden's new memo calls for, and what challenges it creates for the next presi
Oct 25, 2024 · 19 min
‘Atomic Advocate’ — The Italian influencer making nuclear power cool again
The combination of rising energy demands and fears about climate change is fueling fresh interest in nuclear energy, and the movement is getting a boost from Big Tech. But the return to nuclear power is not just a U.S. phenomenon. In Italy, a new generation of climate conscious young people is shaking up the debate — spurred in part by an unlikely social media influencer. On POLITICO Tech, climate reporter Federica Di Sario joins host Steven Overly to introduce the Atomic Advocate.
Oct 24, 2024 · 20 min
AI’s in the HR department. What are the risks?
When you apply for a job, AI is often part of the process whether you know it or not. With technology making more employment decisions, there are real questions about discrimination happening faster and more frequently, and who is to blame when it does. Keith Sonderling, who spent the past four years as a Republican commissioner from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tells host Steven Overly that the answers actually lie in existing employment laws, the ones written some 60 years ago.
Oct 23, 2024 · 19 min
What is ‘sovereign AI’ anyway?
The term “sovereign AI” gets thrown around a lot in tech circles these days, but there’s no one set definition for what it means. Ultimately, it comes down to a race among countries to build and own the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence models. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly interviews Tech Policy Solutions founder Pablo Chavez at the Meridian Summit in Washington, D.C., about the tensions this global competition is creating and what may determine the winner.
Oct 22, 2024 · 19 min
How one doctor-turned-lawmaker wants to regulate AI
A House task force is expected to roll out a bipartisan wish list for AI regulations by year’s end and Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) is one of the lawmakers shaping that agenda. A physician prior to entering Congress, Bera is particularly focused on questions that AI raises about the future of health care. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly sat down with Bera on the sidelines of the Meridian Summit to discuss where new rules are needed most and whether the election outcome will impact how Congress acts
Oct 21, 2024 · 23 min
‘The center of the storm’: Arizona’s election chief prepares for a 2020 repeat
Arizona was an epicenter for election disinformation four years ago. A hotbed for false claims about election rigging and for politicians who still deny the results. It’s Adrian Fontes’ job to combat that — he’s Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state. Fontes joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to talk about how his office is preparing for Election Day, and why he thinks the long battle against election disinformation will eventually be won.
Oct 18, 2024 · 26 min
Why the ‘religion’ of tech needs a reformation
Greg Epstein is the humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT, and he has spent the past several years examining the rising power of tech through the lens of faith. An atheist, Epstein came away with the belief that tech is now “the world’s most powerful religion” — and all of us, its unwitting congregants. On POLITICO Tech, Epstein joins host Steven Overly to talk about his new book, “Tech Agnostic,” and why he sees the need for a tech “reformation.”
Oct 17, 2024 · 17 min
The broadband program that’s become a political fight
Government internet programs aren’t usually at the center of political attacks. But the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, has become a Republican target amid Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign for president. On POLITICO Tech, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, joins host Steven Overly to discuss the agency’s latest broadband investments in Florida and Alabama, and to refute GOP crit
Oct 16, 2024 · 15 min
How the crypto industry became a big election spender
The crypto industry is spending millions of dollars this election cycle in a bid to reshape Congress, including pivotal Senate races in Ohio, Michigan and Arizona. But ads the industry is funding focus on issues like the economy, immigration and reproductive freedom — with no mention of crypto. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Jessica Piper joins host Steven Overly to explain why this little industry is spending big, and the tactics it’s using to send more crypto-friendly candidates to Washington.
Oct 15, 2024 · 18 min
The hurricanes may be over — but disinformation persists
Over the last month, the Southeastern United States has been hammered by back-to-back hurricanes. But weather aside, experts are pointing to another big storm – the swirl of storm and recovery-related disinformation online. One of the experts tracking all this is Danielle Lee Tomson, who works as the research manager at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. She talked to host Steven Overly about how these fake claims are being amplified, and why there’s likely more disinf
Oct 11, 2024 · 16 min
Can Elon Musk turn out the ‘bro vote’ for Trump?
Tech billionaire Elon Musk wants to leverage his starpower to put former President Donald Trump back in the White House. But will Musk’s deep pockets and large online following make a difference in the swing states where Trump needs him most? POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly sits down with national political reporter Alex Isenstadt and Digital Future Daily author Derek Robertson to discuss Musk’s deepening political involvement and whether he can truly turn out the “bro vote” for Trump come Elec
Oct 10, 2024 · 15 min
How AI-generated ads can 'backfire' on politicians
A recent experiment involving two fake political ads tested voter reactions to seeing AI disclaimers — with surprising results. The study’s lead researcher Scott Babwah Brennen, the director of the Center on Technology Policy at NYU, joins Steven Overly to break down the findings.
Oct 9, 2024 · 19 min
Cohere’s CEO wants to build a ‘boring but profound’ AI future
Artificial intelligence may not be as smart as humans — at least not yet — but the technology is progressing faster than Aidan Gomez ever imagined. Now, the Cohere CEO says the trick is convincing people and companies to embrace it. On POLITICO Tech, Gomez sits down with host Steven Overly to talk about what that will take and how fast it can happen.
Oct 8, 2024 · 19 min
How the Israel-Hamas war changed conflict online
This week marks one year since the Hamas attack that left about 1,200 Israelis dead. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been killed -- the majority of them Palestinians living in Gaza. And many, many more have had their lives profoundly disrupted. But an online war has also raged over the past year. Social media has been flooded with disinformation and propaganda, part of an all-out effort to distort the conflict and how it's viewed around the world. Host Steven Overly called up Atlant
Oct 7, 2024 · 22 min
“What’s at stake is the world”
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa wants to scare some sense into us. The U.S. election is just a month away,and she says the outcome is a tipping point in the fight for democracy over autocracy. Maria founded the news site Rappler in the Philippines back in 2012 and faced relentless persecution for her journalism under former President Rodrigo Duterte. Host Steven Overly sat down with Ressa to talk about the state of journalism, big tech, and disinformation as she sees it today.
Oct 4, 2024 · 18 min
The tech issues voters care most about
A recent poll conducted by a policy research firm called the Rainey Center asked people about the tech issues that matter most to them. Today, host Steven Overly digs into voters top-of-mind tech issues with Katie Harbath, the chief global affairs officer at Duco Experts.
Oct 3, 2024 · 13 min
A Senator faked an ad - here’s what happened next
There’s a Republican attack ad in Indiana that in recent days has gotten a lot of attention — a digitally altered image that Sen. Mike Braun’s campaign put out, before slapping a required disclosure label on it, and highlighting it as a prime example of complying with a new Indiana law about deepfakes. Host Steven Overly talks with national political reporter Adam Wren about the unfolding ad drama, and the potential legal battle it could trigger.
Oct 2, 2024 · 14 min
How will Kamala Harris handle Big Tech?
Ever since it became clear that Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee, there’s been speculation about whether she will continue the Biden administration’s crackdown on big tech companies. In particular, questions about how she will handle ongoing antitrust investigations and lawsuits. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Josh Sisco joins host Steven Overly to discuss the Harris antitrust agenda and why it has both the tech industry’s friends and critics on edge.
Oct 1, 2024 · 10 min
Inside Gavin Newsom's veto
Today, we’re talking California. Specifically, Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of California’s sweeping AI bill that was meant to impose safety vetting requirements for powerful AI models. California reporters Lara Korte and Jeremy White chat with Annie Rees about what happened and what’s ahead.