The Decoded Podcast

AI is now a transformative force in the political economy of the U.S. And while technology won’t be top of mind for most Americans when they vote later today, it’s already having a profound influence on how they work, invest and travel. The outcome of the midterms will have significant bearing on both development of AI and its deployment. Plus, a new poll of voters nationally and in Ohio shows how data center beliefs are interacting with other issues driving their Election Day choices — and that, for a sizable group of voters, a candidate’s stance could matter in close races.

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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 speaks to POLITICO about AI regulation.

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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, California, Minnesota and Florida will decide on Tuesday who leads some of the country’s most consequential state attorneys general offices – and how aggressively these top cops take on Big Tech.

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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 in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s second bellwether trial on alleged social media youth addiction, with plaintiffs bringing claims against both Snap and Meta.

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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 the midterms.

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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodeiwarned 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 financial impacts. Plus, Nathan Calvin of Encode AI — one of the most influential AI policy organizations in Washington —speaks to Decoded by Politico about his recent X thread with Amodei, and his reactions to Anthropic's recent filings.

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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 super PAC groups significantly curtailed their visible spending during a crucial stretch before the elections.

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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 Supreme Electoral Tribunal has emerged as the democratic world’s most aggressive governmental enforcer of political speech. Plus, David Shor, the head of data research at Blue Rose joins the show to talk about the firm’s latest survey on voters’ beliefs that AI is a bubble.

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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 Thiel’s views on the Trump administration have shifted.

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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.

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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 — about 40 times what he put into politics in the previous two decades — to try to defeat a proposed tax on California billionaires that has become a top priority for many in Silicon Valley.

Plus, Today is the last day to respond to a call for public comment from Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig on a possible framework for futures contracts for compute — akin to how farmers use financial markets to hedge swings in crop prices

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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 rising backlash to Big Tech and AI. Plus, AI researchers and other industry employees emerged as a powerful political bloc this year. Tech’s traditional megadonors are still the ones bankrolling the broader fight for control of Congress in the lead-up to the November midterms.
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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, Ireland, its officials insisted no new rules are needed as they rush to catch up with America’s tech sector. Decoded discusses how the tech leaders and EU officials are finding a path forward in the age of AI.

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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 exclusive interview with Decoded. Plus, Decoded can exclusively report that a bank backed by tech billionaire and prominent Trump donor Palmer Luckey has just tapped Biden alum Marcia Fudge to help the bank build out it's community banking efforts.

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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 from artificial intelligence

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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 Scott Kupor, one of the Vice Chairs on the White House’s Super Intelligence Task Force, on the goals of the group.

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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 Friday to newly-disclosed autonomous behavior from Anthropic’s AI models was immediate, forceful — and quite different from its nonchalant response to similar actions by OpenAI agents revealed late last month.

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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 green cards for employees on skilled worker visas.

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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 “metaverse” shuts its doors after eight years.

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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 that star tech giants in "villain roles”

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