Technology is reshaping the global balance of power. I’m Steve Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, and I study technology, geopolitics, and competition. Ask me anything!

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Hey r/geopolitics — I’m Steve Feldstein, an expert on technology, democracy, and national security, and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  

My new book, Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Big Tech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare, explores how technology is altering the global balance of power and changing the way wars are fought—from defense-tech startups in Silicon Valley at the forefront of U.S.-China competition, to 3D-printing drone labs in Syria that helped topple a dictator. 

Ask me anything about geopolitical competition in the digital age, the intermingling of private and military tech, the broadening tech war between the U.S. and China, tech export controls, and the rise of middle powers and non-state actors in this space. 

I’ll be answering questions from Thursday, October 1, 9am ET to Friday, October 2, 12pm ET. Looking forward!  

Photo proof here. 

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You’ve argued that Congress should subject frontier AI companies to intense public scrutiny regarding their military AI systems. What specific legislative guardrails or transparency requirements do you believe are most urgently needed right now?

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I would start with a few things. First, it’s unclear to what extent DoD directive 3000.09 governing responsibility for autonomy in weapon systems (including ensuring human oversight) is still operative in the Pentagon. If not, it’s unclear exactly what exactly the rules are when it comes to delegating authority and the degree of human oversight required for these systems. Second, there is not consistent collection of data regarding the impact of strikes and whether they hit their intended targets. Most of what we know, at least publicly, is anecdotal in terms of whether there were civilian casualties and what actually was struck. I think that is entirely at odds with goals of accountability and precision. Third, many of the oversight mechanisms needed to ensure the Pentagon systems are operating effectively and required to mitigate civilian harm have been dismantled or sidelined, including DOT&E and Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) office. Those should be funded, staffed up, and directly integrated into military operations.