Welcome to The Interconnect

How do we connect science and engineering labs with Washington and the world of business? From the Council on Foreign Relations and the Stanford Emerging Technology Review this is The Interconnect, a new podcast discussing emerging technologies and their foreign policy implications.

Host

Martin Giles

Managing Editor, Stanford Emerging Technology Review

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Transcript

Emerging technologies are transforming international relations and our country’s economy.

Sebastian ELBAUM: DeepSeek also raises questions about the effectiveness of any type of government control on the distribution of chips.

Allison OKAMURA: I think an especially interesting development are novel soft bodies of robots.

Simone DAMICO: So this could provide a virtually limitless clean energy source, that is not subject to weather or the time of the day.

So how do we connect science and engineering labs more closely with Washington and the world of business? Welcome to The Interconnect, a new podcast series from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Stanford Emerging Technology Review.

We tackle robotics with OpenAI’s Kevin Weil…

Kevin WEIL: ...when it comes to robotics and interaction in the physical world, I think we're still a number of years away, but I have a hard time imagining it's not part of the future.

And semiconductors with Stanford professor of electrical engineering, Mark Horowitz.

Mark HOROWITZ: If you prevent a company from using outside equipment, they’re going to end up basically building their own. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say.

And space with CFR’s senior global governance fellow Esther Brimmer.

Esther BRIMMER: It's again, a change in thinking at the national security approach, a change in thinking in the economic approach. There are so many different changes happening as we examine human activity in space.

And so much more… So join me, Martin Giles, your host and the managing editor of the Stanford Emerging Technology Review, as I sit down with leading minds in cutting-edge technology and foreign policy to explore ground-breaking developments — what they mean, why they matter, and how they’re going to transform our future.

These are conversations you won’t want to miss!

Biotechnology

Unlocking Biotech’s Potential

In this episode of The Interconnect, Stanford University Professor of Bioengineering Drew Endy and CFR Senior Fellow for Global Health Luciana Borio discuss the future of U.S. biomanufacturing and how biotechnology innovations—including bioluminescent plants and next-gen vaccines—are becoming more a part of daily life.

Podcast with Martin Giles, Luciana L. Borio and Drew Endy March 27, 2025 The Interconnect

Space

A New Roadmap for Space

In this episode of The Interconnect, Stanford University Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Simone D’Amico and CFR’s Space Task Force Project Director Esther Brimmer discuss how private companies are driving innovation in orbit, the new moon race that’s underway, and how increased commercial and military activity raises questions about the responsible use of space.

Podcast with Martin Giles, Esther Brimmer and Simone D’Amico March 13, 2025 The Interconnect

Robots and Robotics

Robotics and the Quest for Smarter Machines

In this episode of The Interconnect, Stanford mechanical engineering professor Allison Okamura and OpenAI’s Kevin Weil discuss how artificial intelligence will transform modern robotics, where more capable robots will have a significant impact on the economy, and why the United States still lags behind China, Germany, and other countries in deploying robots in manufacturing.

Podcast with Martin Giles, Kevin Weil and Allison Okamura February 27, 2025 The Interconnect

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