<![CDATA[The Frontier]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.orghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XhBM!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff0d8d61c-06e7-443f-9c40-c85691fddff2_1280x1280.pngThe Frontierhttps://www.frontier.thefai.orgSubstackWed, 04 Nov 2026 00:42:23 GMT<![CDATA[What Are You Building? with Jayden Clark]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/what-are-you-building-with-jaydenhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/what-are-you-building-with-jaydenFri, 23 Oct 2026 14:41:39 GMTRachel Reses is joined by Members of Technical Staff founder and host Jayden Clark (@creatine_cycle) to figure out why the party scene in Silicon Valley is so infamous and distinctive. We cover: whether DC’s “what do you do?” and San Francisco’s “what are you building?” are mostly sincere or status-seeking questions, why SF has such a casual sartorial culture, how to host a tech party with a crowd-pleasing gender ratio, and whether it’s actually endearing that the entrepreneurial youth are so “high on life” that they don’t care to drink.

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]]><![CDATA[The Living Group House with Max Bodach]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-living-group-house-with-max-bodachhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-living-group-house-with-max-bodachThu, 15 Oct 2026 17:11:26 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Executive Vice President Max Bodach to talk through FAI’s 2026 Field Guide to the Tribes of Silicon Valley. We cover: how this taxonomy helps DC decision-makers draw distinctions between groups trying to influence them on AI policy and governance, whether ideology is downstream of the business or technology someone is designing, why our tech leaders’ propensity for writing long essays is actually good for the tradition of living debate, and when we’ll get our first postrat member of Congress.

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]]><![CDATA[The New Intelligence State with Samo Burja]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-new-intelligence-state-with-samohttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-new-intelligence-state-with-samoMon, 05 Oct 2026 15:55:01 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Bismarck Analysis president and founder Samo Burja to dissect the frontier lab as an institution. We cover: whether frontier labs are fundamentally different from a typical corporation, why American labs haven’t adopted a Space Race-era ethos centered on beating our adversaries, what it would mean for AI to become a utility, and whether software engineers are overidentifying as shape rotators.

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]]><![CDATA[It’s Raining, Men with Augustus Doricko and Ian Banks]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/its-raining-men-with-augustus-dorickohttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/its-raining-men-with-augustus-dorickoThu, 24 Sep 2026 16:05:53 GMTTim Hwang is joined by Rainmaker founder and CEO Augustus Doricko and FAI Director of Science and Innovation Ian Banks to discuss Rainmaker’s role in the deployment of cloud seeding technology. We cover: how innovators in weather modification can build trust around safety and efficacy, what “water rights” look like when said water is still in the sky, why scale is what determines whether cloud seeding is a science project or an efficient mode of infrastructure, and whether you’d need more drones for a cloud seeding operation or a really great LED drone show.

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]]><![CDATA[Labor Days with Sam Manning]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/labor-days-with-sam-manninghttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/labor-days-with-sam-manningTue, 15 Sep 2026 16:33:56 GMTTim Hwang is joined by FAI Non-Resident Senior Fellow Sam Manning to talk about what we know (and mostly what we don’t) about how AI is impacting jobs. We cover: explaining why AI hasn’t had a massive impact on employment so far, second-mover advantages in AI adoption, policymaking under conditions of epistemic uncertainty, and the Manning 2028 platform for AI and labor.

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]]><![CDATA[Head in the Clouds with Gavin Fry and Isaiah Menning]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/head-in-the-clouds-with-gavin-fryhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/head-in-the-clouds-with-gavin-fryFri, 04 Sep 2026 15:40:12 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Research Fellows Gavin Fry and Isaiah Menning to discuss the current state of weather modification science and technology. We cover: how to get the government to keep pace with new research in weather modification, why Utah’s investment in cloud seeding increased twentyfold in recent years, how conservatives should think about mankind’s relationship with nature, and whether we need a jumbo cloud chamber installed at a national lab.

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]]><![CDATA[Robots and Reindustrialization with Amelia Michael]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/robots-and-reindustrialization-withhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/robots-and-reindustrialization-withThu, 27 Aug 2026 01:28:01 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Non-Resident Fellow and Center for Technology and Statecraft Research Fellow Amelia Michael to talk about the economic and political impact from the coming wave of robotics. We cover: why no one really seems to know what a robot is, scaling laws, how quickly we might reindustrialize, whether robot competition is like AI competition, and what being inside the factory of the future might feel like.

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]]><![CDATA[Data Center Politics with Avery James]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/data-center-politics-with-avery-jameshttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/data-center-politics-with-avery-jamesFri, 21 Aug 2026 15:06:47 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Avery James, Communications Director at Echelon Insights, to talk about what the latest polling reveals about the politics of the data center. We cover: why data centers have become a special target of hatred in American politics, how the frontier labs should navigate 2028, the ethics of yelling at Mark Zuckerberg, and what a surging DSA bodes for the future of AGI.

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]]><![CDATA[For Flock's Sake with Charles Fain Lehman and Autumn Billings]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/for-flocks-sake-with-charles-fainhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/for-flocks-sake-with-charles-fainThu, 13 Aug 2026 17:53:37 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Charles Fain Lehman and Reason Assistant Editor Autumn Billings to sort out the merits of the recent backlash against Flock’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). We cover: what’s driving the animus against Flock, whether police departments can minimize the privacy risks and maximize the safety benefits of ALPRs, how to weigh the tradeoffs between efficiency and transparency in law enforcement reporting, and whether traffic surveillance will ruin the thrill of low-level speeding on the highway.

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]]><![CDATA[Hack to the Future with Adam Gluck and Soham Mehta]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/hack-to-the-future-with-adam-gluckhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/hack-to-the-future-with-adam-gluckFri, 07 Aug 2026 16:54:02 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Copia Automation CEO Adam Gluck and FAI Research Fellow Soham Mehta to reflect on recent cybersecurity threats. We cover: how much the OpenAI-HuggingFace incident and Iranian wastewater attacks relied on advanced offensive hacking capabilities versus an underdeveloped “defense,” why cyber is the most obvious attack vector for a rogue AI, what holds critical infrastructure systems back from reducing their vulnerability to cyberattacks, and how the tax code can incentivize investment in securing operational tech.

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]]><![CDATA[From the Government and Here to Help with Kevin Hawickhorst]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/from-the-government-and-here-to-helphttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/from-the-government-and-here-to-helpThu, 30 Jul 2026 16:57:41 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Research Fellow Kevin Hawickhorst to learn about good governance through the lens of his new paper, “Competent Bureaucracy: Rebuilding State Capacity.” We cover: how managerial responsibility in the executive branch was eroded during the 60s and 70s, what kind of tough questions the government used to ask its managers, whether the political right should take pride in its talent for saying no to The Groups, and why it matters whether it seems cool to be serious.

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]]><![CDATA[The Rocket's Red Glare with Andrew Fagal]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-rockets-red-glare-with-andrewhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-rockets-red-glare-with-andrewFri, 24 Jul 2026 14:33:04 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by historian Andrew Fagal to reflect on America’s tradition of technological innovation in light of America 250. We cover: whether innovators were more willing to take risks and fail during the Founding Era, why Congress used to reward inventors for blowing things up in the Potomac River, whether President Jefferson would have been excited about autonomy in warfare, and how America’s national anthem is actually about military engineering.

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]]><![CDATA[Rallying the Horde with Emmet Penney]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/rallying-the-horde-with-emmet-penneyhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/rallying-the-horde-with-emmet-penneyFri, 17 Jul 2026 17:20:05 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by newly minted FAI Director of Energy & Infrastructure Emmet Penney to talk through his vision for this massive bucket of FAI’s work. We cover: how our infrastructure is held back by permitting hangups (and also much more), why the AI industry has been forced to switch from “web thinking” to “infrastructure thinking,” whether people perceive the existence of essential utilities as a challenge to their freedom, and why powerful business magnates have to settle for being less cool than rock stars.

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]]><![CDATA[VibeChamps with Brooke Bowman and Samuel Hammond]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/vibechamps-with-brooke-bowman-andhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/vibechamps-with-brooke-bowman-andWed, 08 Jul 2026 18:39:46 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Vibecamp Chief Enthusiasm Officer Brooke Bowman and FAI Director of Artificial Intelligence & Chief Economist Samuel Hammond to talk through this summer’s Vibecamp gathering. We cover: how it became a non-tech event that lots of tech people love, what it means to integrate science and technology with the “woo” parts of life, how our friends in AI synthesize rationalism and postrationalism, and what Vibecamp has in common with pop-up cities, the Renaissance Faire, and the Borscht Belt.

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]]><![CDATA[Everything Is (Quantum) Computer with Prineha Narang]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/everything-is-quantum-computer-withhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/everything-is-quantum-computer-withWed, 01 Jul 2026 20:40:42 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by FAI Non-Resident Senior Fellow and UCLA quantum scientist Prineha Narang to unpack the White House’s recent quantum-related executive orders. We cover: what the “offensive” and “defensive” game look like in quantum, whether strong government action is a blessing or a curse for the industry, how the executive branch cultivates technical expertise, and whether President Trump might be partial to quantum computers because of their gold and chrome sheen.

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]]><![CDATA[The Middle and Not-So-Middle East with Mohammed Soliman]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-middle-and-not-so-middle-easthttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/the-middle-and-not-so-middle-eastMon, 22 Jun 2026 14:27:40 GMTTim Hwang is joined by Middle East Institute senior fellow Mohammed Soliman to chat about his new book, West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East. We cover: why the Indo-Pacific may be America’s most important strategic theater, whether diverse international partnerships will be enough to balance Chinese and Russian power in the region, how we keep getting sucked into quagmires in the Middle East, and whether the fact that the U.S. didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by force is a blackpill on our military capacity.

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]]><![CDATA[ChatCCP with Michael Sobolik and Joshua Levine]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/chatccp-with-michael-sobolik-andhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/chatccp-with-michael-sobolik-andFri, 12 Jun 2026 16:04:36 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Sobolik and FAI Director of Technology and Statecraft Joshua Levine to unpack the new OpenAI report on Chinese covert influence ops targeting U.S. tech policy. We cover: why some Americans find anti-data center discourse compelling in the first place, how China hawks can expose CCP efforts to sow distrust in US institutions without dismissing homegrown anxieties, what else we’d like to learn about the reach and audience of the campaigns OpenAI describes, and whether America should unleash our most unhinged poasters on our adversaries as vengeance.

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]]><![CDATA[Pox Populi with Andrew Snyder-Beattie, Charlie Petty, and Josh Wentzel]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/pox-populi-with-andrew-snyder-beattiehttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/pox-populi-with-andrew-snyder-beattieTue, 26 May 2026 16:02:10 GMTTim Hwang is joined by Coefficient Giving’s biosecurity lead Andrew Snyder-Beattie, Global Health Investment Corporation alum Charlie Petty, and FAI Senior Fellow Josh Wentzel to take the temperature of the biosecurity field. We cover: why biodefense progress is lagging even in the physical world, what incentives hold investors back from pouring funds into biosecurity, what we can learn from Operation Warp Speed and other past public health initiatives, and where there’s room for optimism when it comes to global health.

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]]><![CDATA[Going Nuclear with Emmet Penney]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/going-nuclear-with-emmet-penneyhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/going-nuclear-with-emmet-penneyMon, 11 May 2026 15:35:15 GMTTim Hwang is joined by FAI Senior Fellow and Nuclear Barbarians podcast host Emmet Penney to reflect on nuclear regulators’ new approach to licensing. We cover: how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission became more fixated on regulating nuclear projects than promoting them, what explains the current political momentum around nuclear energy, why a competent NRC is essential for overseeing such a powerful dual-use technology, and how to “make nuclear normal again.”

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Emmet’s recent article with The Free Press, “Will America Finally Let Itself Build Nuclear Plants?”:

The Free Press
Will America Finally Let Itself Build Nuclear Plants?
America built the first civilian nuclear power reactor in the world in three years. We started on it in 1954 and were done by the end of 1957. Half a century later, just doing the paperwork to get a reactor design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the government body responsible for overseeing this process, took the company trying to build Georgia’s Vogtle reactors…
Read more
6 months ago · 167 likes · 165 comments · Emmet Penney

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]]><![CDATA[Into the Gundo with Jakob Diepenbrock and Joshua Levine]]>https://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/into-the-gundo-with-jakob-diepenbrockhttps://www.frontier.thefai.org/p/into-the-gundo-with-jakob-diepenbrockWed, 29 Apr 2026 14:25:02 GMTTim Hwang and Rachel Reses are joined by Discipulus Ventures founder Jakob Diepenbrock and FAI Director of Technology and Statecraft Joshua Levine to explain the hard tech boom in El Segundo, CA. We cover: what makes a city attractive to innovators, whether building in the physical world can ever really be considered a “trend,” what kind of founder gravitates toward the Gundo, and why using longevity science to create an immortal Palmer Luckey just might be the key to never becoming the stodgy establishment.

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