While the public clamors for some semblance of government regulation of the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, the question remains: how to prevent doom scenarios without compromising the industry’s innovative spirit. Cal Newport, a Georgetown University computer scientist and frequent writer on AI matters, discusses questions he wants Congress to as ... Show More
Oct 6
National Treasures, October Surprises, and Silly Walks with Michael Auslin
Much like the fragile parchment on which a new republic’s principles and grievances were outlined, America’s Declaration of Independence endures to this day – quite the accomplishment given a Continental Congress struggling to help George Washington wage war and a few Founding Fa ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 23
Taiwan’s Slow Squeeze, Ukraine’s Long War
America’s complicated relationship with China doesn’t lack for subplots – tariffs, territorial designs, human rights and espionage. But does the superpowers’ Cold War-like competition over artificial intelligence supersede all other U.S.-Sino concerns? On the eve of the year’s se ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 2025
Does the Future Belong to China?
<p>Is the United States still a worthy opponent for China? In this episode, Ross Douthat talks to Dan Wang, the author of “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future,” about the alarming speed at which China is able to build and could blow America out of the water.</p><ul><l ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2025
America's lawyers vs. China's engineers
America has a hard time building stuff. Roads. Trains. Bridges. Housing. Everything takes seemingly forever. Meanwhile, China seems to have no trouble at all: high-speed rails, solar panels, electric cars, bridges, ports, all churned out at breakneck speed. Why is that? Sean's gu ... Show More
51m 37s
Sep 2020
A Moment of Global Adjustment: China’s Ambitions in the Wake of Covid-19
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined once again by Dr. Jonathan Ward, author of China’s Vision for the World, to discuss how China’s relationship with the rest of the world has changed in the last 18 months. This time around, the pair analyze the growing re ... Show More
15m 31s
Aug 2025
Downstream: China Is Building While the West Crumbles w/ Dan Wang
Dan Wang is a technology analyst and author whose life experience, spent partly in North America, partly in China, sets him up as an authoritative observer of the differences and similarities between the American and Chinese empires. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Wang share ... Show More
2h 1m
<p>In his new book “Breakneck,” Dan Wang argues that the U.S. has a lot to learn from China. He also says that “no two peoples are more alike.” We have questions.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://danwang.co/about/">Dan Wang</a>, research fellow ... Show More
