Artificial General Intelligence: America's Next National Security Frontier

About the Lecture: This lecture will discuss the dangers that advanced AI would pose to the United States, the world, and humanity if developed and deployed without proper safeguards. These dangers would include its impact on our economy, geopolitical relations, and our national security. About the Speaker: Brendan Steinhauser is a Partner with Steinhauser Strategies, a public affairs firm based in Austin, Texas. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Government from The University of Texas in 2004 and earned his M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs from The Institute of World Politics in 2013. Brendan served as an adjunct professor of Political Science and Global Studies at St. Edward's University in Austin, where he taught courses on Global Issues and State & Local Government. He has been published in the peer-reviewed academic journal, The Journal of South Texas. ‍Brendan has led campaigns for candidates and causes in more than 40 states, including for Senator John Cornyn, Congressman Michael McCaul, and Congressman Dan Crenshaw. TIME magazine named Brendan as one of "40 Under 40" rising stars in American politics. Campaigns & Elections magazine awarded him a "Rising Star" award in 2012. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey called working with Brendan one of the highlights of his career. Over the years, Brendan has worked as a Director of Federal and State Campaigns, Communications Director, and Chief Strategy Officer of various nonprofit organizations. He is a frequent media commentator and has appeared on Fox News, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN, the BBC, NewsNation, and Newsmax. He has also been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and many more newspapers, magazines, books, and journals. Some of his clients have included the Republican Party of Texas, Texas Right to Life, State Senator Angela Paxton, and the War Veterans Fund. Brendan serves as a First Lieutenant and Company Commander in the Texas State Guard, the premier state defense and emergency response force in the U.S. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and received his commission in 2021, at the age of 39. He earned a certificate in Counterintelligence Awareness from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. Mark Beall is a leading expert at the intersection of AI policy and national security. After serving as the inaugural Pentagon AI Policy Director at the Department of Defense’s Joint AI Center, he became the Senior Advisor at the AI Policy Network, an organization that builds bipartisan support for legislation that will help the United States prepare for the future capabilities of AI systems. Beall also co-founded Gladstone AI, an entity that advocates for the responsible development of AI and guardrails to protect the country against national security threats from AI. He has publicly spoken on these issues numerous times through speeches, interviews, and more, and is a voice critical in the mission to prioritize security in the development of AI. Beall holds a BA in Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MA in Statecraft and National Security from the Institute of World Politics. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: ***Make a gift to IWP:

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Artificial General Intelligence: America's Next National Security Frontier is an episode from The Institute of World Politics by The Institute of World Politics.

This episode is 01:06:24 long.

This episode was published on Jan 30, 2026.

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