Artificial Intelligence

Explore IST's work on artificial intelligence

Current Projects

AI Antitrust and National Security

Exploring how to more effectively account for national security considerations in AI antitrust cases while respecting precedent, scope, and the core principles of antitrust law

AI Chip Export Control Initiative

Safeguarding U.S. national competitiveness by closing critical compliance and enforcement gaps

AI Risk Barometer

Measuring national security professionals’ perceptions of AI futures through a technically-informed survey

AI Risk Reduction Initiative

Assessing the risks and opportunities of AI foundation models and developing technical and policy-oriented risk reduction strategies

Multi-Agent Risks

Evaluating, monitoring, and planning for the risks posed by multi-agent systems

Recursive Self Improvement Initiative

Addressing the urgent need for governance and oversight mechanisms to protect against models capable of recursive self-improvement (RSI).

Religious Voices and Responsible AI

Engaging religious communities on safe and beneficial AI

Latest Publications

What 111 National Security Practitioners and Policymakers Actually Think About Artificial Intelligence

IST recently released the results of a survey asking national security professionals about their views on artificial intelligence. In this month’s edition of The TechnologIST, Sophia Mauro compiled top takeaways and striking quotes from the survey’s launch event.

September 8, 2026

AI and the Future of National Security: Results From a Landmark Survey of 111 National Security Policy Professionals

IST, in partnership with the Future of Life Institute, conducted the first unclassified survey of national security practitioners to cut through the hype and identify the risks and opportunities that experts see in advanced AI deployment. Join report authors and contributing experts in a launch event to celebrate the report’s release, share key findings, and explore what’s next for AI in national security.

September 2, 2026

AI and the Future of National Security: Findings from a survey of 100+ national security practitioners on the opportunities and risks of advanced AI deployment in military, cybersecurity, intelligence, and CBRN

A landmark survey of 111 national security experts by the Institute for Security and Technology reveals urgent concerns over AI catastrophic risks, nuclear integration, and policy readiness.

September 2, 2026

Safety Takes a Back Seat: IST Releases AI and the Future of National Security Survey

In a survey released today by the Institute for Security and Technology and with support from the Future of Life Institute, a majority of national security experts see the risk of an AI-caused catastrophe at or above their tolerance for continuing to pursue global AI leadership.

September 2, 2026

IST Launches Initiative for Managing the Risks from Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI) and Self-Modifying AI Systems in Partnership with the Future of Life Institute

The Institute for Security and Technology announced a new research initiative in partnership with the Future of Life Institute to establish governance frameworks and control mechanisms for AI systems with recursive self-improvement (RSI) capabilities.

August 11, 2026

What We Knew Would Happen Is Happening

Three recent incidents involving OpenAI and Anthropic models, including one where a Claude agent engaged in social engineering during UK AISI-permitted cyber testing, map to Level 2 on IST's Loss of Control Risk Schema. IST analysis raises open questions for policymakers and developers about monitoring, disclosure standards, and whether frontier labs have crossed a shared capability threshold.

August 6, 2026

National Security and Policy Implications of World Models

LLMs were never the whole of AI—only its first commercial frontier. Though models like ChatGPT have captured the global spotlight, text-based AI has inherent limitations. Enter world models. This primer unpacks what these models do, and why the transition matters.

July 30, 2026

Building Towards a Beneficial Future Together: IST Engages with Partners on the Recent Vatican AI Encyclical

How can we ensure AI fosters human flourishing, instead of shaping us? IST’s Elizabeth Vish and Fatima Faisal Khan joined a DC gathering exploring religion and AI, centered on the Vatican's Magnifica Humanitas encyclical and its call for "digital sobriety."

June 29, 2026

Past Projects

Digital Cognition and Democracy Initiative

Investigating how digital technologies affect human cognition, and what those effects mean for democracy

[2022]

Generative Identity Initiative

Exploring how GenAI will affect social cohesion and the protection of public interest

[2023-2025]