Washington AI Network with Tammy Haddad

On this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad sits down with Sean Cairncross, White House National Cyber Director, and Sanjay Poonen, CEO and president of Cohesity, for a live conversation recorded at The House at 1229 in Washington, D.C.They discuss President Trump’s new cyber strategy and cybercrime executive order, the growing role of the private sector in protecting critical infrastructure, and how AI is reshaping both cyber risk and cyber defense.

On this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad sits down with Blake Lawit, chief global affairs and legal officer at LinkedIn, for a data-driven look at how AI is reshaping the U.S. workforce.Lawit discusses LinkedIn’s new report, “Skills and AI: The U.S. Workforce Imperative,” including why the U.S. ranks 24th globally in AI adoption, what LinkedIn’s data shows (and doesn’t show yet) about AI-driven job loss, and why the bigger story is rapid job transformation—skills required for roles shifting dramatically by 2030. He also explains LinkedIn’s push toward skills-first hiring, verified identity, and verified skills, and why creativity, judgment, and communication will matter even more as AI tools become mainstream.

What does it take to modernize government for the pace of AI?In this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad speaks with Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, about the launch of the US Tech Force and the push to bring the best technologists into government service. The conversation also features Arun Gupta, CEO of the NobleReach Foundation, a founding partner of US Tech Force; Justin Fanelli, CTO of the U.S. Navy; and Christopher Watkins, CMEIO of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Together, they discussed the urgency of skills-based hiring, early-career pipelines, public-private mobility, and how AI is already reshaping mission-critical decision-making across national security and civilian agencies.Recorded before a live audience at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center Theater.

Recorded live at the Residence of Ireland in Washington, D.C., this special “AI for the Holidays” episode features host Tammy Haddad in conversation with Pinterest’s chief content officer Malik Ducard and VP of engineering Jeff Harrell. They discuss how AI drives inspiration and discovery on Pinterest, the company’s approach to youth safety, Pinterest Assistant, personalization through the “taste graph,” and the challenges of synthetic content.The program opened with remarks from Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason and Malcolm Byrne, chair of Ireland’s parliamentary AI committee, highlighting the growing role of AI in diplomacy, governance, and transatlantic cooperation.

EqualAI president & CEO Miriam Vogel, co-author of the new book Governing the Machine, joins Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad for a timely conversation on AI trust, governance, and global competition. Vogel breaks down the surge in AI litigation, why companies are missing ROI without governance, and how workforce fears are shaping adoption. She argues that America’s long-held advantage in brand trust may be its most powerful asset in the global AI race — if leaders act now.

Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad hosts Cohesity CEO and President Sanjay Poonen for a conversation on the intersection of data security and artificial intelligence.Poonen explains why protecting government and enterprise data is the foundation for trustworthy AI — and why, in his words, “You can’t do AI before you’ve secured your data.” He also introduces Gaia, Cohesity’s new generative-AI platform built with NVIDIA, and shares how AI can help government become more efficient, secure, and productive.From ransomware readiness to the President’s AI Action Plan, Poonen outlines how agencies can build cyber resilience, strengthen data hygiene, and embrace innovation safely in the age of AI.

This special edition of the Washington AI Network Podcast features NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at NVIDIA’s first-ever GTC conference held in Washington, DC. The episode includes highlights from Huang’s keynote and his exchange with Tammy Haddad, exploring NVIDIA’s partnerships with the U.S. government on AI, quantum computing, and 6G innovation—and even a personal note on his favorite AI tool.

In this Washington AI Network Power Breakfast episode, NVIDIA’s Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of robotics and edge AI, joins host Tammy Haddad for an in-depth conversation on the breakthroughs powering the next era of robotics. Talla explains why humanoids could be the “largest opportunity for humanity,” how simulation and synthetic data are helping train a general-purpose brain for robots, and why reshoring policy is creating a “golden age of manufacturing” in the U.S. He also shares a personal vision of living to 200 — and how robots will play a central role in elder care, everyday chores, and helping people age with dignity and independence.

In this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast with Tammy Haddad, Teresa Carlson (president, General Catalyst Institute) and Dr. Jason Rathje (former director, Office of Strategic Capital, Department of Defense) discuss why reinventing America’s national security and industrial infrastructure is urgent—and how technology, talent, and better policy can help. Recorded live at The House at 1229, the conversation also features founders and tech executives Evan Beard (Standard Bots), Cameron McCord (Nominal), and Jon Battles (Cobot), who share how they’re building the future of robotics, manufacturing, and defense.

In this episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, Tammy Haddad is joined by Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project, for a conversation on U.S. AI strategy, national security, and the global tech race. Bajraktari previews the 2025 AI Expo in Washington, DC, including new national security programming, China’s AI ambitions, Trump’s recent Middle East trip, and why AI has become central to U.S. foreign policy and defense.

In this special edition of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad takes listeners behind the scenes at NVIDIA’s 2025 GTC, where more than 26,000 developers, engineers, and thought leaders gathered to chart the course of intelligent systems. NVIDIA’s Dion Harris unveils the company’s new operating system, Dynamo, designed to power the global rollout of AI factories; Disney Research’s Moritz Baecher and Espen Knoop introduce us to their emotionally expressive robots, Besh and Grok; and Rapidflare CEO Navanee Sundaramoorthy explains how AI agents can simplify technical documents for businesses.

In the 50th episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast hosted by Tammy Haddad, Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google and Alphabet, discusses his company’s pioneering role in artificial intelligence, the complexities of regulating this rapidly evolving technology, and the importance of public-private collaboration to address national security challenges. Walker also shared insights into Google’s quantum computing advancements, highlighting how AI and quantum research will shape the future.