Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race

31 episodes

Commercial Diplomacy for U.S. Tech Exports
04/06/2026 | 50 mins.
Join us for an episode of Betting on America, recorded at the CSIS Futures Summit. Navin Girishankar moderates the panel "U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Through the Lens of the Private Sector," joined by Cynthia Conner, Senior Manager for International Policy at Chevron; Nicole Issac, Vice President of Global Public Policy at Cisco; and Katherine F. Pickus, Chief Sustainability Officer at ADM. They discuss where U.S. commercial interests and countries’ development goals come together, the constraints U.S. companies face in emerging markets, what effective commercial diplomacy looks like, and why getting this right matters.
Solidarity in an Era of Economic Competition: Featuring Rep. Ami Bera
29/04/2026 | 45 mins.
Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) joins Navin Girishankar to discuss the importance of reviving economic alliances amid rising global threats. He explains the roots of today’s economic security challenges, as well as the dual goal of achieving balanced economic integration with countries like Japan, Korea, and India while rebuilding the U.S. domestic industrial base. He highlights his legislative efforts to strengthen critical minerals supply chain resilience through economic security pacts in the Global South. He also explores opportunities for AI in healthcare and emphasizes the need for all Americans to contribute to the nation’s economic security goals.
Can AI Accelerate Scientific Discovery? Featuring Under Secretary Darío Gil
08/04/2026 | 48 mins.
Under Secretary Darío Gil joins Navin Girishankar to discuss the Genesis Mission—a Department of Energy–led initiative to build an AI-driven platform for accelerating scientific discovery. Under Secretary Gil outlines the Mission's integration of AI, supercomputing and quantum technologies for scientific exploration, alongside institutional innovations such as public-private partnerships and interagency coordination. He also addresses research security, allied collaboration, and the long-term vision to revitalize the U.S. science and technology enterprise.
The Imperative of Renewal featuring Senator David McCormick
25/03/2026 | 28 mins.
Senator David McCormick (R-PA) joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America to discuss the urgency of economic renewal in the face of myriad challenges to national power. In this wide‑ranging conversation, Senator McCormick discusses the AI revolution, U.S. trade policy, defense tech innovation, and workforce issues. He reflects on Pennsylvania’s experience and its potential to offer lessons for the country as a whole.
Confronting the China Challenge
04/03/2026 | 50 mins.
Join us for a special episode of Betting on America, recorded live at the 42nd Annual National Association for Business Economics Policy Conference. Navin joins the panel, “Industrial Policy and Economic Security: Confronting the China Challenge,” alongside Oliver Melton, Director of Rhodium Group’s China practice; Laura Taylor-Kale, Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics and Defense at the Council on Foreign Relations; Randall G. Schriver, Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; and Tani Fukui, Senior Director of Global Economics and Market Strategy at MetLife Investment Management, to discuss what it will take to secure U.S. leadership in the long-term competition with China.

This event is made possible through support from the National Association for Business Economics.

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About Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race

Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race explores how new and emerging partnerships between government and business are shaping the future of U.S. industrialization and the country’s prospects for winning the global tech race. Betting on America will dive into strategies and investments that government and business are pursuing together – sharing risks and generating returns – as they bet on the innovation, commercialization, and scaling of critical and emerging technologies across the country. These include climate technologies, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, bio technologies, and more. The podcast will feature in-depth discussions with policymakers, experts, and industry leaders on the most complex policy questions of the day. Hosted by Navin Girishankar, President, CSIS Economic Security & Technology Department.

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