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 Snapshot

The DOD and the U.S. Tech Sector Relationship

Ronnie Kinoshita
| August 31, 2022

Data Snapshots are informative descriptions and quick analyses that dig into CSET’s unique data resources. This short series of Snapshots explores some of CSET’s original surveys. Check in every two weeks to see a Snapshot sharing what we learned from surveying AI researchers and professionals.

See our original translation of China’s climate change adaptation strategy for the period 2022-2035.

See our original translation of a 2022 white paper, co-authored by China’s prestigious Zhejiang University and Chinese tech company Baidu, that examines China’s system for AI training.

Data Brief

Mapping Biosafety Level-3 Laboratories by Publications

Caroline Schuerger Sara Abdulla Anna Puglisi
| August 2022

Biosafety Level-3 laboratories (BSL-3) are an essential part of research infrastructure and are used to develop vaccines and therapies. The research conducted in them provides insights into host-pathogen interactions that may help prevent future pandemics. However, these facilities also potentially pose a risk to society through lab accidents or misuse. Despite their importance, there is no comprehensive list of BSL-3 facilities, or the institutions in which they are housed. By systematically assessing PubMed articles published in English from 2006-2021, this paper maps institutions that host BSL-3 labs by their locations, augmenting current knowledge of where high-containment research is conducted globally.

Data Visualization

Country Activity Tracker

Husanjot Chahal Jennifer Melot Sara Abdulla Zachary Arnold Ilya Rahkovsky
| August 2022

CSET’s CAT presents data related to countries' artificial intelligence ecosystems to give an overview of domestic capabilities, as well as insights on competitiveness and collaboration globally. It presents metrics on AI research, patents, and investment-related activities for AI overall and its various subfields.

Data Snapshot

Views of AI PhD Recipients on Resources to Build the Domestic Talent Pool

Ronnie Kinoshita
| August 17, 2022

Data Snapshots are informative descriptions and quick analyses that dig into CSET’s unique data resources. This short series of Snapshots explores some of CSET’s original surveys. Check in every two weeks to see a Snapshot sharing what we learned from surveying AI researchers and professionals.

Read our original translation of the 2022 budget of the China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), a Communist Party-led professional association for Chinese scientists. CAST is funded by the Chinese government and promotes scientific ethics and science popularization. Among other projects, this year’s budget funds an effort to reform China’s Chinese- and English-language scientific journals.

Read our original translation of the 2022 budget of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a state-run body of professional Chinese engineers that provides technology policy advice to the Chinese government and runs laboratories focused on applied technology research.

Analysis

Will AI Make Cyber Swords or Shields?

Andrew Lohn Krystal Jackson
| August 2022

Funding and priorities for technology development today determine the terrain for digital battles tomorrow, and they provide the arsenals for both attackers and defenders. Unfortunately, researchers and strategists disagree on which technologies will ultimately be most beneficial and which cause more harm than good. This report provides three examples showing that, while the future of technology is impossible to predict with certainty, there is enough empirical data and mathematical theory to have these debates with more rigor.

CSET Research Fellow Emily Weinstein testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission at a hearing on "Challenges from Chinese Policy in 2022: Zero-COVID, Ukraine, and Pacific Diplomacy." Weinstein proposed the creation of a new export control regime.