On our 300th episode, Stanford Hoover Institution Director and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks about her return to Stanford after years in government and the impact she sees rapidly advancing technologies having on democracy and public policy. She says the future demands greater collaboration among industry, academia, and government to ensure promising fields like quantum computing and AI are used for the greatest good—in education, medicine, and the sciences. We are in a race that we must win, Rice tells host Russ Altman on this special episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Condoleezza Rice Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces guest Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State and a professor of political science and political economy at Stanford University. (00:04:08) Returning to Stanford Why Condoleezza returned to academia after serving as Secretary of State. (00:04:50) Higher Education & Public Trust Potential factors impacting universities' connection to the broader public. (00:07:31) Why Research Still Matters The importance of curiosity-driven, federally funded university research. (00:09:32) Hoover’s Emerging Tech Initiative An outline of the Hoover Institution’s Tech Initiative and its policies. (00:12:11) Uniting Scientists & Policymakers How engineers and researchers are engaging with policy and ethics. (00:13:41) The Race For Innovation Emerging themes and key enablers in the technology innovation race. (00:19:17) Industry in the Lead How private companies are now the primary drivers of innovation. (00:22:02) Global Tech & National Interests The tension between globalized tech firms and U.S. policy interests (00:24:35) AI & Education Using AI as a tool to enhance teaching and critical thinking in students. (00:28:30) Students Driving Policy The contribution students are making to Hoover’s tech policy work. (00:29:23) Future In a Minute Rapid-fire Q&A: hope, innovation, time, humanity, and alternate careers. (00:31:09) Conclusion Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.