Technology

Muskism: A guide for the perplexed

April 9, 2026

May 1, 2026|4:00–5:30 PM |820 Social Sciences Building

Register

With Quinn Slobodian, Professor of International History, Boston University, and Ben Tarnoff, Journalist

To understand Elon Musk and the world he intends to make, we have to understand the worlds that made him. So argue historian Quinn Slobodian and journalist Ben Tarnoff in their highly anticipated new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.

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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCd8Bmy7AryjIGoFBABBZ5oCdrmZi9o3xi33rC…

Cloud Capitalism and the AI Transition

April 2, 2026
Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative
April 09, 2026| 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM|820 Social Sciences Building Cloud Capitalism and the AI Transition With Kathy Thelen, Ford Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Join MIT political scientist Kathy Thelen at BESI as she explores the origins and implications of the new cloud business model powering the AI boom. She’ll elaborate on how this model differs from the traditional platform model out of which it grew, as well as the technological, political, and distributional impacts of the rise of this new business model. She...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGJHd26W4iVk87J58LodpCjmLb2cj3idodGERn…

Upcoming events at Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

March 20, 2026

The Berkeley Risk and Security Lab has several events coming up that may be of interest to members of the IIS community:

BRSL Webinar: Military AI Governance

Date: April 2, 2026

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am PT

Location: Zoom

Register to attend.

The U.S. War on Iran has drawn widespread attention to the influence of AI and data science tools on military choices previously left to human judgement. At...

April learning opportunity for students - Introduction to Quantum + Policy

March 17, 2026
This unique upcoming course will offer a practical introduction to quantum technology and why it matters for policy, business, security, and innovation. Through expert guest speakers (Irfan Siddiq, Claire Cramer, Bert de Jong (QSA), Brandon Severin (Conductor Quantum), and others) and a hands-on simulation (wargame led by Reddie), students will explore the real-world implications of quantum and build confidence engaging with one of the most important emerging technologies.

Complicating Simple Stories about Chinese AI

March 3, 2026

March 5, 2026 | 5 - 6:30 pm | 306 Soda Hall

China looms large in US conversations about AI policy. But often the stories that spread about Chinese AI are oversimplified—"China is poised to overtake the US in the AI race," "DeepSeek proved that chip export controls have failed," "AI is one area where the US and China should obviously cooperate." Since reality is usually more complicated, this talk, featuring Helen Toner (Georgetown CSET) in conversation with...