Friday, April 4, 2025

 

Spotlight: Tech CEOs and U.S. Policymakers Converge at ITI's The Intersect Summit

Key stakeholders discuss critical intersection of tech and policy

Latest Development:


The technology sector is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities at the intersection of artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, and cybersecurity.


ITI’s Advocacy:


ITI recently hosted its premier annual event, "The Intersect: A Tech + Policy Summit,bringing together technology CEOs, policymakers, and industry visionaries to address pressing policy issues. The summit featured prominent speakers including U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Dave McCormick, Representatives Suzan DelBeneBrett GuthrieJay ObernolteJohn Joyce, M.D., and Gabe Amo, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, and Morgan Adamski, Executive Director of the U.S. Cyber Command.


Discussions centered on critical topics including:


Energy & AI Infrastructure


"The first thing we have to do [to meet AI energy demand] is not take available energy offline, we have to keep things online. Then we need permitting reform to produce energy quicker, and wind and solar is included in that." – Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman, House Energy & Commerce Committee


"Don't think of data centers as consumers of energy. Data centers can be grid stabilizers." – Aamir Paul, Schneider Electric President & CEO of North America Operations


National Security & Public-Private Collaboration


"We want to be able to sit side by side with the private sector and have an honest conversation about our hard problems and discuss innovative and different approaches to our capabilities." – Morgan Adamski, U.S. Cyber Command, Executive Director


Digital Trade


"Digital trade impacts all sectors of the economy. Participating, and helping set that gold standard is critically important." – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene


AI Innovation & Small Business


"For a small business, the opportunities AI brings are especially compelling. You can bring in some of these tools to diminish repetitive tasks, automate outreach and allow the owner to engage at the touchpoint where a human needs to come in." – Eric Loeb, Executive Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Salesforce


"With the advent of primarily cloud-based AI tools, it makes a level field for small business owners.... for a fraction of the cost, they can start using that new technology." – Manav Thiara, Senior Vice President, Technical Fellow, Data Digital Services and Engineering, Sage


“The real power of AI is where we think about the most complex things, the problems we couldn’t solve before, and consider with the technology ‘what could I do?’”  Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA


“[In 2025] We’re transitioning from, especially in cybersecurity, using AI to react, but rather using AI to be proactive." – Omar Santos, Distinguished Engineer, Cisco Systems


“AI is taking the tools we’ve been using for a long time, and is making them better, and faster.”  Kirsten Verderame, Vice President, Global Government Relations, NetApp


Cybersecurity in the AI Era


"AI is going to be a very potent tool used for cyber attacks, but it's equally powerful in recognizing and preventing them." – Congressman Jay Obernolte


"While these tools are becoming more accessible, you have this democratization of destruction that AI is enabling. At the same time it is enabling us to all have speed and scale in what we do. The stakes are higher now because the adversaries have it too." – Drew Bagley, Chief Privacy Officer, CrowdStrike


“Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue—it’s a business issue, it’s a national security issues, it’s a board room issue. Security can’t be an afterthought.” – Steve Vintz, Co-CEO and CFO, Tenable


U.S. Technology Leadership


"It's clear that U.S. technology leadership...can provide a real national security advantage for the U.S." – David Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer, Amazon


"We should make more investments in basic research, because we're at an all-time-low since the 1950s in investments in American research." – Senator Dave McCormick


"For 4D innovation, I think it's very important that the world continues to use and rely on American technology. The more we can have access to the global markets, the more ability we have to maintain the innovation cycle and attract the brightest people to work on technology for the United States." – Cristiano Amon, President & CEO, Qualcomm


➡️ Watch the full event live stream here.


In the News:


Sustained Tariffs Damage Tech Innovation & U.S. Global Leadership

Tariffs create economic uncertainty 

Latest Development:


On Wednesday, April 2, U.S. President Trump announced his intent to impose tariffs on imports from trading partners across the world. 


ITI Advocacy:


ITI Executive Vice President of Policy Sean Murphy called on the Trump Administration to remove these tariffs and adopt a trade strategy that supports technological leadership.  In a statement, Sean urged the Trump administration to prioritize policies that promote open markets, reduce unnecessary trade barriers, and reinforce the U.S. as a hub for technology investment. 


Read Sean's statement here.


In the News:


Leveraging U.S. Trade Policy to Promote Tech Leadership

ITI Director advocates for strategic trade policy

Latest Development:


Trade is a pressing priority for the Administration. During its first two months, the second Trump Administration has published several memos directing the development of plans to address wide-ranging trade ambitions, such as the America First Trade Policy and Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs plans.


ITI's Advocacy:


As President Trump and his team finalize their overall trade policy approach, it’s imperative that technology is part of the conversation. In a new TechWonk blog, ITI Director of Trade Policy Kyle Johnson emphasized that the Administration has an opportunity to collaborate with industry and international partners to advance an effective and durable trade strategy that strengthens U.S. leadership.


Read Kyle’s blog here.

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===
plus april 7  Monday, April 7

SAIS Emerging Technologies Symposium 2025

Join the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) on April 7-8, 2025, for a two-day symposium on emerging technologies.

By SAIS Events
376 followers
Lots of repeat customers 📈

Date and time

Monday, April 7 · 9am - 7:30pm EDT

Location

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center

555 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest The Link Washington, DC 20001

Agenda

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Check In, Coffee, and Breakfast

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Opening Remarks

Dean Jim Steinberg

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Welcome | Alperovitch Institute and Emerging Technologies Initiative

Olga Belogolova

Thomas Rid

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Geopolitics Decanted Live Podcast

Dmitri Alperovitch

Ben Buchanan

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Panel 1: Fueling the Technology of the Future |Moderated by: Melissa Griffith

Eric Breckenfield

Mark Dredze

Benjamin Della Rocca


This panel will explore the AI triad—data, compute, and algorithms— and the foundational technologies that make AI possible. From the energy demands of AI-driven data centers to the semiconductor supply chains powering computation, panelists will discuss the critical investments and innovations needed to sustain AI’s growth.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Panel 2: Disruptive Tech and Conflict | Moderated by: Joshua White

Radha Plumb

Joshua Marcuse

Thomas Rid

Jane Pinelis


This panel will examine the impact of cybersecurity, AI, autonomous weapons, and space technologies on modern conflict. From Ukraine to Israel, how is technology influencing everything from intelligence collection to precision strikes and cyber operations?

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Panel 3: From Lab to Market | Moderated by: Chenny Zhang

Henry Farrell

Alex Poulin

Chris Morales

Alison Perez


This panel will explore the economics of innovation, examining how emerging technologies like AI, biotech, and space are disrupting markets, redefining global competition, and influencing economic growth.

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Panel 4: The New Power Brokers | Moderated by: Olga Belogolova

Perri Adams


Once the domain of governments, technological breakthroughs—from the space race to the internet—have increasingly shifted into the hands of the private sector. Today, AI is driven by corporations, not states, and space commerce is being redefined by private industry. This panel will examine the power shift between governments, federally funded research, industry, and regulators, asking: Who gets to shape the future of innovation?

4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Closing Remarks

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Evening Networking Reception

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