About this episode
Who’s speaking up for startups in Washington, D.C.? In this episode, Matt Perault (Head of AI Policy, a16z) and Collin McCune (Head of Government Affairs, a16z) unpack the “Little Tech Agenda” for AI- why AI rules should regulate harmful use, not model development; how to keep open source open; the roles of the federal government vs states in regulating AI; and how the U.S. can compete globally without shutting out new founders. Timecodes: 0:00 – Introduction 1:12 – Defining the Little Tech Agenda 4:40 – Challenges for Startups vs. Big Tech 6:37 – Principles of Smart AI Regulation 9:55 – History of AI Policy & Regulatory Fears 19:26 – The Role of Open Source and Global Competition 23:45 – Motivations Behind Policy Approaches 26:40 – Debates on Regulating Use vs. Development 35:15 – Federal vs. State Roles in AI Policy 39:24 – AI Policy and U.S.–China Competition 40:45 – Current Policy Landscape & Action Plans 42:47 – Moratoriums, Preemption, and Political Dynamics 50:00 – Looking Forward: The Future of AI Policy 56:16 – Conclusion & Disclaimers Resources: Read the Little Tech Agenda: https://a16z.com/the-little-tech-agenda/ Read ‘Regulate AI Use, Not AI Development : https://a16z.com/regulate-ai-use-not-ai-development/ Read Martin’s article ‘Base AI Policy on Evidence, Not Existential Angst: https://a16z.com/base-ai-policy-on-evidence-not-existential-angst/ Read ‘Setting the Agenda for Global AI Leadership’: https://a16z.com/setting-the-agenda-for-global-ai-leadership-assessing-the-roles-of-congress-and-the-states/ Read ‘The Commerce Clause in the Age of AI”: https://a16z.com/the-commerce-clause-in-the-age-of-ai-guardrails-and-opportunities-for-state-legislatures/ Find Matt on X: https://x.com/MattPerault Find Collin on X: https://x.com/Collin_McCune Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.