WarTalk: AI, Nukes, Iran and Autonomous War

WarTalk launches! We chat with Pranay Vaddi (MIT, Sandia, formerly Biden NSC) and Chris McGuire (State, NSC, now CFR) about AI, nuclear command and control, deterrence, and how new military technologies could reshape strategic stability. We cover why the U.S. insists on keeping humans in the loop for nuclear employment decisions, where AI may still play a role in warning and decision support, and how drone warfare, undersea detection, and strategic AI capabilities could change the future of war. 05:00 How “human in the loop” became U.S. nuclear policy12:25 Accident risk, NC3, and the new dangers AI could introduce20:25 Where AI could help: targeting, planning, and decision support57:25 The bigger issue: proliferation of AI-enabled strategic military capabilities1:07:30 Tactical nuclear use, escalation, and lessons from recent wars1:17:40 What an AI nonproliferation regime might actually look like1:32:15 Civilian harm, targeting mistakes, and whether AI makes war more or less humane suno song: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to WarTalk: AI, Nukes, Iran and Autonomous War online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

WarTalk: AI, Nukes, Iran and Autonomous War is an episode from ChinaTalk by Jordan Schneider.

This episode is 119:27 long.

This episode was published on Mar 16, 2026.

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