By Sophy Macartney Dual-use technologies have been a concern of national security since the 1950s and were originally targeted at preventing the diversion of items with military uses. The scope of dual-use export controls has since shifted toward preventing the covert development of nuclear weapons. But as technology and science developments speed up, the danger […]
‘Oppenheimer’: Questions From the Outside
Recently, I spent two weeks outside the Beltway, in that portion of America that, strange as it may seem, is not captivated by the appropriations process and cannot instantly cite the precise size of the Republican majority in the House. Most of the time, these are opportunities to get away from work and thinking about […]
With AI, regulations must come before benefits
By Sophy Macartney Computers are passing the exascale threshold, performing as many calculations in a single second as an individual could in 31,688,765,000 years. In 2017, experts stated that “the national security implications of AI will be revolutionary, not merely different.” And this was six years ago, a lifetime in technology. AI advancements are progressing far faster than […]
First Thoughts on ‘Oppenheimer’
On July 20, a few staffers at the Center were able to see the one of the first local showings of the new Oppenheimer movie about the man known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” Here are our initial takeaways of the movie that, along with Barbie as part of the “Barbenheimer” cultural phenomenon, […]
Good News on Chemical Weapons
By John Erath On July 7, the United States eliminated the last of its chemical weapons, ending a Cold War-era program more than 20 years after signing the Chemical Weapons Convention. Although the world is a safer place with fewer chemical weapons, the threat has not been eliminated as evidenced by Syria’s use of chemical […]