Governing AI is a high priority for policymakers, particularly as model capabilities advance and new applications arise. AI governance refers to the regulatory, technical, and policy tools governments and private actors can use to safely develop and adopt powerful AI systems. Robust governance systems can support the United States’ world-leading AI firms, protect its citizens, and provide a basis for international cooperation on AI safety. CSET staff research the levers policymakers can use to address safety and security concerns amid global AI competition, how federal agencies can formalize robust testing frameworks and technical standards across sectors, and how government agencies can use existing resources to realize AI’s benefits and minimize risks. Additionally, the team maps and analyzes the U.S. governance landscape at the federal and state levels using proprietary data tools. Ultimately, CSET's governance work helps ensure policy keeps pace with technological progress.

Reports

Open Models, Soft Power, and the Spectrum of U.S.-China Artificial Intelligence Competition

Owen Daniels and Hanna Dohmen

| March 26, 2026

The competition between the United States and China regarding artificial intelligence (AI) is entering a new phase and is increasingly focused on influencing the global AI ecosystem. Although national security is an important consideration in the U.S.-China AI rivalry, it represents only one dimension of a broader and nuanced competition.

Reports

AI Governance at the Frontier

Mina Narayanan, Jessica Ji, Vikram Venkatram, and Ngor Luong

| November 2025

This report presents an analytic approach to help U.S. policymakers deconstruct artificial intelligence governance proposals by identifying their underlying assumptions, which are the foundational elements that facilitate the success of a proposal. By applying the approach to five U.S.-based AI governance proposals from industry, academia, and civil society, as well...

Reports

The Mechanisms of AI Harm: Lessons Learned from AI Incidents

Mia Hoffmann

| October 2025

As artificial intelligence systems are deployed and affect more aspects of daily life, effective risk mitigation becomes imperative to prevent harm. This report analyzes AI incidents to improve our understanding of how risks from AI materialize in practice. By identifying six mechanisms of harm, it sheds light on the different...

Blog

China’s PLA Challenges and Competitions

Julie George

| April 28, 2026

While demonstrating technical proficiency, challenges and competitions can reveal China’s People's Liberation Army’s (PLA) key priorities, bottlenecks, and institutional dynamics within its defense innovation system, which would otherwise be difficult to observe. This blog summarizes public PLA announcements of challenges and competitions from January 2023 to December 2024 to understand...

Blog

Unpacking the White House National Policy Framework for AI

Mina Narayanan, Jessica Ji, and Vikram Venkatram

| March 26, 2026

CSET researchers share their early analysis of the White House's AI Policy Framework and what the prospects are for near-term legislative action on AI.

Blog

California’s Approach to AI Governance

Devin Von Arx

| November 4, 2025

This blog examines 18 AI-related laws that California enacted in 2024, 8 of which are explored in more detail in an accompanying CSET Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO) blog. This blog also chronicles California’s history of regulating AI and other emerging technologies and highlights several AI bills that have moved through...

Owen Daniels

Associate Director of Analysis and Andrew W. Marshall Fellow

Mia Hoffmann

Non-Resident Research Fellow

Mina Narayanan

Senior Research Analyst

CSET Research Analyst, Mina Narayanan shared her expert insights in an article published by Defense One. The piece examines President Trump’s newly released AI Action Plan, which outlines a sweeping effort to secure American dominance in artificial intelligence by accelerating military adoption, fast-tracking infrastructure, and expanding U.S. influence in global AI governance.

In their op-ed in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Mia Hoffmann, Mina Narayanan, and Owen J. Daniels discuss the upcoming French Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, which aims to establish a shared and effective governance framework for AI.

Mina Narayanan provided her expert insights in an article published by GZERO Media. The article discusses the evolving landscape of AI policy under the incoming administration and the key trends shaping AI regulation, national security, and U.S.-China competition in 2025.

In a recent episode of the Corner Alliance's "AI, Government, and the Future" podcast that explores the challenges of assessing AI systems and managing their risk, Mina Narayanan, a Research Analyst at CSET, provides her expert take.

In an article published by WIRED that delves into recent developments in the international regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) for military use, CSET's Lauren Kahn provided her expert analysis.

In a recent Bloomberg article, CSET's Helen Toner provides her expert analysis on Beijing's implementation of fresh regulations governing artificial intelligence (AI) services.