AI at the Core: Policy Foundations for Extending U.S. Leadership in
Artificial Intelligence
As the United States competes to lead in artificial intelligence, the National Security Institute’s Cyber & Tech Center (CTC) and the Artificial Intelligence & Innovation Institute (AI³) will launch AI at the Core, a four-part, senior-level roundtable series focused on the foundational building blocks of AI—data, compute, power, and people—and how these inputs underpin U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.
This four-part series will convene policymakers, national security practitioners, technologists, and NSI/AI³ fellows for candid, forward-looking conversations about the material necessities of AI development: access to data, the infrastructure required to train and deploy models, the energy systems that power AI at scale, and the workforce needed to sustain American leadership.
Each session is designed to surface practical, actionable policy solutions that strengthen U.S. capacity to build, deploy, and secure advanced AI systems—while ensuring trusted access for American and allied users and reducing opportunities for adversarial advantage.
Series Agenda
- Event One: The Power of Data: AI Training, Inference, and U.S. Leadership
Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 pm ET
This session examines how access to large-scale data underpins U.S. leadership in AI, with implications for national security, economic competitiveness, and innovation. Participants will explore how data access, training, and inference shape American jobs and wages—and what risks arise if the U.S. falls behind adversaries operating without safeguards.
- Event Two: The Compute Race: Infrastructure for AI Leadership
Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 pm ET
This session focuses on the race to secure the compute, cloud, and edge infrastructure needed to sustain U.S. and allied AI leadership. Participants will assess how policy choices around data centers, chip supply chains, and export controls can expand access for trusted users while limiting adversarial misuse.
- Event Three: Plugged In: Energy Access for AI Leadership
Thursday, April 23, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 pm ET
This session explores how the U.S. can rapidly scale reliable, affordable energy to power AI growth without undermining grid stability. Discussions will focus on permitting reform, baseload generation, transmission, and resilience as core enablers of American AI infrastructure.
- Event Four: The Talent Advantage: People Powering American AI
Thursday, May 28, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 pm ET
This session examines how workforce development and talent retention shape America’s long-term AI advantage. Participants will discuss strengthening domestic training pipelines and attracting top global talent to ensure the U.S. can build and deploy advanced AI systems at scale without reliance on adversaries.
Participation
This program is designed for senior-level participants and is intended to enable candid, solutions-oriented discussion. Attendance at each session is strongly encouraged.
If you are interested in participating, please contact NSI Policy Coordinator Keelin C. Wolfe at [email protected].