Reports

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.

Report

CSET’s 2024 Annual Report

Center for Security and Emerging Technology
| March 2025

In 2024, CSET continued to deliver impactful, data-driven analysis at the intersection of emerging technology and security policy. Explore our annual report to discover key research highlights, expert testimony, and new analytical tools — all aimed at shaping informed, strategic decisions around AI and emerging tech.

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See our original translation of a study by a PRC government cybersecurity center that analyzes the structure of China's complement of cybersecurity and IT security professionals.

Reports

Hacking AI

Andrew Lohn
| December 2020

Machine learning systems’ vulnerabilities are pervasive. Hackers and adversaries can easily exploit them. As such, managing the risks is too large a task for the technology community to handle alone. In this primer, Andrew Lohn writes that policymakers must understand the threats well enough to assess the dangers that the United States, its military and intelligence services, and its civilians face when they use machine learning.

Reports

Universities and the Chinese Defense Technology Workforce

Ryan Fedasiuk and Emily S. Weinstein
| December 2020

To help U.S. policymakers address long-held concerns about risks and threats associated with letting Chinese university students or graduates study in the United States, CSET experts examine which forms of collaboration, and with which Chinese universities, pose the greatest risk to U.S. research security.

See our original translation of a statistical report by the PRC Ministry of Science and Technology detailing changes in China's research and development personnel pool.

See our original translation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proposal—approved at the Fifth Plenum of the 19th CCP Central Committee in late October 2020—on China's 14th Five-Year Plan.

Reports

Automating Cyber Attacks

Ben Buchanan, John Bansemer, Dakota Cary, Jack Lucas, and Micah Musser
| November 2020

Based on an in-depth analysis of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems, the authors consider the future of applying such systems to cyber attacks, and what strategies attackers are likely or less likely to use. As nuanced, complex, and overhyped as machine learning is, they argue, it remains too important to ignore.

Data Brief

U.S. Demand for Talent at the Intersection of AI and Cybersecurity

Cindy Martinez and Micah Musser
| November 2020

As demand for cybersecurity experts in the United States has grown faster than the supply of qualified workers, some organizations have turned to artificial intelligence to bolster their overwhelmed cyber teams. Organizations may opt for distinct teams that specialize exclusively in AI or cybersecurity, but there is a benefit to having employees with overlapping experience in both domains. This data brief analyzes hiring demand for individuals with a combination of AI and cybersecurity skills.

Data Visualization

Chinese Talent Program Tracker

Emily S. Weinstein
| November 2020

China operates a number of party- and state-sponsored talent programs to recruit researchers -- Chinese citizens and non-citizens alike -- to bolster its strategic civilian and military goals. CSET has created a tracker to catalog publicly available information about these programs. This catalog is a work in progress; if you have further information on programs currently not included in it -- or if you spot an error -- please complete the form at http://bit.ly/ChineseTalent

See our original translation of a speech given by Chinese President Xi Jinping in April 2020 at the seventh meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission.

Data Brief

“Cool Projects” or “Expanding the Efficiency of the Murderous American War Machine?”

Catherine Aiken, Rebecca Kagan, and Michael Page
| November 2020

Is there a rift between the U.S. tech sector and the Department of Defense? To better understand this relationship, CSET surveyed U.S. AI industry professionals about their views toward working on DOD-funded AI projects. The authors find that these professionals hold a broad range of opinions about working with DOD. Among the key findings: Most AI professionals are positive or neutral about working on DOD-funded AI projects, and willingness to work with DOD increases for projects with humanitarian applications.