Dahlia Peterson is a Research Analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Her research work focuses on how China harnesses predictive policing algorithms and facial, voice, and gait recognition technologies for AI-powered surveillance programs within its own borders and abroad. At CSET, she also studies how China is developing its artificial intelligence education and workforce pipelines. Her work has been published by the Brookings Institution, The Diplomat, The Hill, The National Interest, and Routledge. She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and WIRED, among others. Prior to joining CSET she worked for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the U.S. State Department’s Virtual Student Federal Service, and the Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Chinese Language with a minor in China Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University.
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Dahlia Peterson’s Testimony Before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
February 2023CSET Research Analyst Dahlia Peterson testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission at a hearing on "China’s Challenges and Capabilities in Educating and Training the Next Generation Workforce."
U.S. policies on artificial intelligence education and the AI workforce must grow, cultivate, attract, and retain the world’s best and brightest. Given China’s role as a producer of AI talent, understanding its AI workforce could provide important insight. This report provides an analysis of the AI workforce demand in China using a novel dataset of 6.8 million job postings. It then outlines potential implications along with future reports in this series.
In her coauthored report, CSET Research Analyst Dahlia Peterson offers recommendations for democratic governments and civil society to rein in the unchecked spread and use of surveillance technology.
In an opinion piece for The National Interest, Research Analyst Dahlia Peterson argues why the United States and its allies should levy Magnitsky sanctions on Chinese AI surveillance giant Hikvision for its role in Xinjiang.
In an opinion piece for The Hill, CSET's Kayla Goode and Dahlia Peterson urge the United States to adopt AI education if it wants to compete with China's AI talent.
CSET Research Analyst Dahlia Peterson unpacks China's use of data fusion in its surveillance programs and policy implications.
A globally competitive AI workforce hinges on the education, development, and sustainment of the best and brightest AI talent. This issue brief compares efforts to integrate AI education in China and the United States, and what advantages and disadvantages this entails. The authors consider key differences in system design and oversight, as well as strategic planning. They then explore implications for the U.S. national security community.
A globally competitive AI workforce hinges on the education, development, and sustainment of the best and brightest AI talent. This issue brief provides an overview of the education systems in China and the United States, lending context to better understand the accompanying main report, “AI Education in China and the United States: A Comparative Assessment.”
Since the mid-2000s, China has consistently graduated more STEM PhDs than the United States, a key indicator of a country’s future competitiveness in STEM fields. This paper explores the data on STEM PhD graduation rates and projects their growth over the next five years, during which the gap between China and the United States is expected to increase significantly.
To reduce its dependence on the United States and its allies for semiconductors, China is building domestic semiconductor manufacturing facilities by importing U.S., Japanese, and Dutch semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In the longer term, it also hopes to indigenize this equipment to replace imports. U.S. and allied policy responses to China’s efforts will significantly affect its prospects for success in this challenging task.
Semiconductors are a key component in fueling scientific progress, promoting economic advancement, and ensuring national security. This issue brief summarizes each component of the semiconductor supply chain and where the United States and its allies possess the greatest leverage. A related policy brief, “Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains,” recommends policy actions to ensure the United States maintains this leverage and uses it to promote the beneficial use of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
China has built a surveillance state that has increasingly incorporated AI-enabled technologies. Their use during the COVID-19 pandemic has softened the image of China’s surveillance system, presenting unique challenges to preventing the spread of such technologies around the globe. This policy brief outlines core actions the United States and its allies can take to combat the spread of surveillance systems that threaten basic human rights.
China’s System of Oppression in Xinjiang: How It Developed and How to Curb It
September 2020How should the United States understand and respond to China’s technologically driven mass surveillance, internment and indoctrination in Xinjiang? Dahlia Peterson offers a set of policy recommendations in a coauthored report for the Brookings Institution.
Assessing Chinese Reactions to New U.S. Visa Policies on Chinese Students and Researchers
June 2020This report summarizes Chinese reactions to a May 29th White House proclamation forbidding entry to the United States of graduate students or researchers with past or current affiliations with entities supporting China’s military-civil fusion. It draws on sources ranging from government statements and state-owned media to blog posts.
The US-China Tech Wars: China’s Immigration Disadvantage
December 2019CSET’s Remco Zwetsloot and Dahlia Peterson examine the U.S. advantage over China in recruiting overseas talent to work in emerging tech. They describe deep-rooted reasons for the differences – and the way the United States can maintain its edge.