Show Notes
In the second episode of a two-part series, Simon and Gary discuss how the AI race is affecting countries that aren't currently investing in their own models, how those countries could still create a version of AI sovereignty for themselves, and what the consequences might be for them if they don't. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.
More from Power and Consequences
Gary and Simon discuss the global economic cycle in the wake of IMF / World Bank annual meeting. Are growth and income still heading in a positive direction or is a worldwide slowdown imminent? With interest rates rising, high stock market valuations, inflation persistent, energy prices elevated, and unsustainable federal deficits, there are signs of growing economic and financial fragility in numerous economies currently dependent on the AI boom. Could we be facing a potential repeat of the bust after the Internet investment boom of the late 1990s? Or from the housing boom of 2005–8? While all global economic upswings share happy similarities, each global economic downswing is unhappy in its own way. A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended reading for each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also recently co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.
Gary and Simon discuss the IMF / World Bank October annual meetings, why they matter and the history of these multilateral organizations. What do the world’s leading central bankers, finance ministers, and economic policy actors come together to discuss? What are the US, Europe, China & the Global South looking to achieve? Will there be any relevant action on continued energy price shocks; global sovereign debt levels, inflation, or AI’s economic effects? Will the US succeed in narrowing the World Bank's consideration of climate change when lending, and might other nations make progress on efforts to revise IMF quotas and voting - possibly diminishing US and Europe’s influence over IMF decisions? A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended reading for each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also recently co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.
Gary and Simon explore the economic & political challenges facing Europe, tackling the impact of the Euro and the tensions arising from immigration and energy dependence. Why hasn't the EU's project to create a unified economy fully succeeded? Why have Europe's capital markets remained fragmented and how has the Euro possibly held Europe back? What has led to the rise of nationalist, euro-sceptic, anti-immigration political parties and what does it mean for Europe’s future? As Europe has fallen behind US IT for decades now, what will the rise of AI mean for Europe and its challenges? A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended reading for each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also recently co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.
Gary and Simon discuss whether we should slow the development of AI and can we slow its pace? They explore AI's capabilities, limitations, and characteristics which have led to growing real world risks. Unpacking OpenAI's recent Hugging Face incident, they analyze the challenges of aligning AI with human intentions. Will the US be able to get ahead of these risks? Will China cooperate on developing policy regulations for AI? This is the second part in a two-part series focusing on artificial intelligence. The first part, "What Are We Getting With All These Data Centers?" is available to listen to now. A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended reading for each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also recently co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.
Gary and Simon dive into the important topic of the big data centers building boom, particularly for artificial intelligence. No building boom lasts forever. When the slowdown comes, what will be the economic and financial markets consequences? What are the effects on electricity prices, water use, the environment and local communities? This is first of a two part series - next week's discussion will be: Should we (or can we) slow the development of AI? A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended reading for each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, and Professor of the Practice of Finance, at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, finance, and economic policy. He previously served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission, and Senior Advisor to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Earlier, Gensler was at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, where he became a partner. Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, head of its Global Economics and Management group, and Co-Director of MIT’s Stone Center for Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. He co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council and is an AI Ambassador for the UK. Simon is the author of 13 Bankers, Jump-Starting America, and Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. Gary & Simon also recently co-edited, with Ugo Panizza and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, The Economic Consequences of the Second Trump Administration.