Publications

CSET produces evidence-driven analysis in a variety of forms, from informative graphics and translations to expert testimony and published reports. Our key areas of inquiry are the foundations of artificial intelligence — such as talent, data and computational power — as well as how AI can be used in cybersecurity and other national security settings. We also do research on the policy tools that can be used to shape AI’s development and use, and on biotechnology.

Annual Report

CSET at Five

Center for Security and Emerging Technology
| March 2024

In honor of CSET’s fifth birthday, this annual report is a look at CSET’s successes in 2023 and over the course of the past five years. It explores CSET’s different lines of research and cross-cutting projects, and spotlights some of its most impactful research products.

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Data Brief

A Quantitative Assessment of Department of Defense S&T Publication Collaborations

Emelia Probasco Autumn Toney
| June 2024

While the effects of the U.S. Department of Defense’s broad investments in research and development go far beyond what is publicly disclosed, authors affiliated with the DOD do publish papers about their research. This analysis examines more than 100,000 papers by DOD-affiliated authors since 2000 and offers insight into the patterns of research publication and collaboration by the DOD.

Analysis

China’s Military AI Roadblocks

Sam Bresnick
| June 2024

China’s leadership believes that artificial intelligence will play a central role in future wars. However, the author's comprehensive review of dozens of Chinese-language journal articles about AI and warfare reveals that Chinese defense experts claim that Beijing is facing several technological challenges that may hinder its ability to capitalize on the advantages provided by military AI. This report outlines these perceived barriers and identifies several technologies that Chinese experts believe may help the country develop and deploy military AI-enabled systems.

Analysis

Trust Issues: Discrepancies in Trustworthy AI Keywords Use in Policy and Research

Emelia Probasco Kathleen Curlee Autumn Toney
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Policy and research communities strive to mitigate AI harm while maximizing its benefits. Achieving effective and trustworthy AI necessitates the establishment of a shared language. The analysis of policies across different countries and research literature identifies consensus on six critical concepts: accountability, explainability, fairness, privacy, security, and transparency.

This paper is the fifth installment in a series on “AI safety,” an area of machine learning research that aims to identify causes of unintended behavior in machine learning systems and develop tools to ensure these systems work safely and reliably. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of building AI systems that “know what they don’t know.”

Analysis

Putting Teeth into AI Risk Management

Matthew Schoemaker
| May 2024

President Biden's October 2023 executive order prioritizes the governance of artificial intelligence in the federal government, prompting the urgent creation of AI risk management standards and procurement guidelines. Soon after the order's signing, the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance for federal departments and agencies, including minimum risk standards for AI in federal contracts. Similar to cybersecurity, procurement rules will be used to enforce AI development best practices for federal suppliers. This report offers recommendations for implementing AI risk management procurement rules.

Analysis

China and Medical AI

Caroline Schuerger Vikram Venkatram Katherine Quinn
| May 2024

Medical artificial intelligence, which depends on large repositories of biological data, can improve public health and contribute to the growing global bioeconomy. Countries that strategically prioritize medical AI could benefit from a competitive advantage and set global norms. This report examines China’s stated goals for medical AI, finding that the country’s strategy for biodata collection and medical AI development positions it to be an economic and technological leader in this sector.

Analysis

China, Biotechnology, and BGI

Anna Puglisi Chryssa Rask
| May 2024

As the U.S. government considers banning genomics companies from China, it opens a broader question about how the United States and other market economies should deal with China’s “national champions.” This paper provides an overview of one such company—BGI—and how China’s industrial policy impacts technology development in China and around the world.

Analysis

Gao Huajian and the China Talent Returnee Question

William Hannas Huey-Meei Chang Daniel Chou
| May 2024

The celebrated return to China of its overseas scientists, as evidenced in the recent case of physicist Gao Huajian, is typically cited as a loss to the United States. This report argues a contrarian view that the benefits equation is far more complicated. PRC programs that channel diaspora achievements “back” to China and the inclination of many scientists to work in familiar venues blur the distinction between returning to China and staying in place.

Formal Response

Comment on BIS Request for Information

Jacob Feldgoise Hanna Dohmen
| April 30, 2024

Jacob Feldgoise and Hanna Dohmen at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University offer the following response to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM): Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities (89 FR 5698).

Analysis

Bibliometric Analysis of China’s Non-Therapeutic Brain-Computer Interface Research

William Hannas Huey-Meei Chang Rishika Chauhan Daniel Chou John O’Callaghan Max Riesenhuber Vikram Venkatram Jennifer Wang
| March 2024

China’s brain-computer interface research has two dimensions. Besides its usual applications in neuropathology, China is extending the benefits of BCI to the general population, aiming at enhanced cognition and a “merger” of natural and artificial intelligence. This report, authored in collaboration with researchers from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London uses bibliometric analysis and expert assessment of technical documents to evaluate China’s BCI, and conclude that the research is on track to achieve its targets.