Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race

Join us for an episode of Betting on America, featuring a panel discussion on the AI revolution, reindustrialization, and new pathways to Black wealth. The panel was moderated by Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad and featured Dr. Nicol Turner Lee of the Brookings Institution, Chanelle Hardy of Google, and Navin Girishankar of CSIS. The panel explored the risks and opportunities presented by AI and America’s reindustrialization, with a focus on how to ensure AI-driven growth becomes a pathway to greater opportunity and wealth creation for all.

Join us for a special episode of Betting on America, featuring the recent CSIS-hosted “International Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security” with the U.S. Department of Commerce, a leader in advancing secure, trusted, and innovative wireless technologies. Deputy Secretary Paul Dabbar, German Ambassador to the United States Jens Hanefeld, and Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth kicked off the convening, bringing together representatives from 25 governments and industry leaders to explore why 6G will be critical for the AI race, critical infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing — and why the United States cannot build the ecosystem alone.

Former Director of the National Science Foundation Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan joins Navin Girishankar to discuss how the United States can democratize discovery and unlock the "missing millions" of untapped scientific and engineering talent. Dr. Panchanathan reflects on his tenure leading NSF and why expanding opportunity is central to America's innovation advantage. He explains how AI can broaden access to education and research, why public-private "hyper-partnering" is reshaping scientific discovery, and how to balance openness with research security.

Bob Mumgaard, co-founder and CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, joins Navin Girishankar to discuss whether fusion can usher in an era of virtually limitless clean energy—and whether the United States will lead the way. Bob explains the technology, key commercial milestones, the race with China, the path from experimental reactors to the electric grid, and why fusion could transform AI, manufacturing, and national power. He also discusses how to balance scientific openness with research security and how the United States can cultivate the talent needed to lead the next energy revolution.

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) joins Navin Girishankar to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and the broader reindustrialization process. She explores how to ensure that historically underserved communities benefit from technological transformation and shares her views on the U.S. trade agenda, its implications for the Indo-Pacific, and the importance of strong export controls.