Hello, I'm Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project. If you're fascinated by the way AI is revolutionizing our world, you're in the right place. New subscribers and AI Expo attendees, welcome! Below, I’m sharing highlights from the AI Expo.
At SCSP, we're not just talking about AI – we're charting the course. If you’re new here, we created a short film to introduce you to SCSP and our mission.
Tomorrow we are launching a brand new report called Vision for Competitiveness: Mid-Decade Opportunities for Strategic Victory. It offers a bold blueprint for America's future. I can’t wait to share it with you.
Recapping the AI Expo and Ash Carter Exchange
SCSP President and CEO, Ylli Bajraktari welcoming guests to the AI Expo for National Competitiveness.
The Tech Ecosystem and National Competitiveness Under One Roof
The Expo sparked a vibrant exchange of groundbreaking ideas and initiatives in the world of AI and emerging technologies. Industry, government, and academic leaders joined citizens from across our nation to be a part of this accessible, dynamic experience in the nation’s capital, where strategic tech ideas were shared, key collaborations were formed, and the gap between cutting-edge innovation and safeguarding our national security is bridged across our nation
Highlights
The Expo and Ash Carter Exchange brought together over 10,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors, and 440 speakers in Washington, DC over two days. Senior government officials – such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, Jr., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – spoke about the challenges facing our nation and outlined their vision for maintaining U.S. competitiveness.
The 16 stages, special event rooms, and other venues also highlighted insights from thought leaders on the future of technology and private-public relationships. Our Expo exhibitors included some of the largest companies in the United States as well as promising start-ups poised to be game changers. We witnessed demos of software, robots, and drones from innovative companies and government departments and agencies. The Talent Marketplace attracted professionals at all career stages, offering opportunities to learn about new roles, network with peers, and learn about educational opportunities at leading universities. The Bookstore provided attendees and speakers a space to delve into new ideas at the forefront of technology and innovation by displaying over 100 books and hosting in-person conversations with some of the authors.
For two days, the Expo built relationships around AI, technology, and the U.S. and allied competitiveness. We believe that the Expo was not merely an exhibition, but a catalyst for collective action for years to come.
In the coming days and weeks, we will begin publishing the much-anticipated videos from the AI Expo on our YouTube Channel.
Thank You
The AI Expo and Ash Carter Exchange would not have been possible without the combined value of our speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees, one and all. We are deeply grateful for your generosity, enthusiasm, and efforts to help convene key stakeholders of our innovation ecosystem to build pride and momentum for our national technological competitiveness. Last but not least, many thanks to our Chair, Dr. Eric Schmidt for his guidance, leadership, and his unwavering support of our mission.
AI Expo in 2025
We will be hosting the AI Expo for National Competitiveness again in 2025 and look forward to building on this year's incredible success. Interested in joining us? Let us know.
The Expo through Photos
SCSP Chair Dr. Eric Schmidt, DDCIA David Cohen, General (ret.) Mark Milley, and Palantir CEO Dr. Alex Karp join Andrew Ross Sorkin (left to right) at the Ash Carter Exchange for a discussion on the future of geopolitics and the role of innovation and technology.
United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo joins Accenture CEO Julie Sweet on stage at the AI Expo to discuss the role of public-private partnerships.
APNSA Jake Sullivan joins Foreign Affairs’ Daniel Kurtz-Phelan for a conversation at the AI Expo to discuss the need to maintain technological advantage in global competition.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joins Tammy Haddad on stage at the AI Expo to discuss the U.S. Senate’s AI efforts and his now-released Senate AI Roadmap with Senators Mike Rounds, Martin Heinrich, and Todd Young.
SCSP Board of Advisor Mac Thornberry engages Senators Martin Heinrich, Todd Young, and Mike Rounds (left to right) on their work leading the Senate AI Insight Forums, and how AI can be applied across technology sectors.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. joins SCSP President and CEO Ylli Bajraktari on stage at the Ash Carter Exchange for a discussion on accelerating change to meet the changing character of warfare.
SCSP NatSec Tech Podcast Host Jeanne Meserve leads a discussion with SCSP Advisor and JHUAPL’s Christine Fox, Caltech’s Anima Anandkumar, and Samaya AI’s Maithra Raghu, (left to right) on how women are powering innovation.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC, UK Chief of the Defence Staff, on stage at the Ash Carter Exchange.
AI Expo attendees try out Palantir’s IC2 technology.
SCSP’s Ben Bain moderates a discussion with Anthropic’s Michael Sellitto, Google Public Sector’s Joshua Marcuse, and OpenAI’s Anna Makanju (left to right) on their experiences working across technology and government.
David Sanger visits the SCSP Bookstore for a talk with SCSP’s Tara McLaughlin on his book, New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West.”
Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, Josephine Teo, and the Philippines' Secretary for Department of Information and Communications, Ivan John E. Uy join SCSP’s Joe Wang (left) on stage at the AI Expo for a conversation on the global approach to leveraging AI for competitiveness.
The Department of Energy and its National Labs exhibit at the AI Expo.
Deputy Secretary of State, The Honorable Kurt Campbell, joins Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on stage at the Ash Carter Exchange for a conversation on the future of the U.S.-China relations.
SCSP Advisor and August Interactive’s Kristin Wood, ODNI’s Jason Barrett, CIA’s Randall Nixon and Recorded Future’s Staffan Truvé join SCSP’s William Usher (left) on stage at the AI Expo for a conversation on the future of open source intelligence.
ARPA-H Director, Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, joins Jeanne Meserve for a recording of an upcoming episode of SCSP’s podcast NatSec Tech.
OpenAI demos ChatGPT showing Custom GPTs, advanced data analysis, and multimodal capabilities at the AI Expo.
Google Deepmind’s Dr. Mikel Rodriguez leads a discussion in the Google Public Sector booth at the AI Expo.
Talent Marketplace drawing a crowd to hear how to start and grow tech career pathways.
Taiwan AI Labs Founder Ethan Tu joins SCSP’s Libby Lange in a special event on lessons learned from the information war in Taiwan and Ukraine.
An exhibitor discusses their technology with an AI Expo attendee.
SCSP Advisor and President of Dakota State University Dr. Jose-Marie Griffiths (center) poses with a delegation from South Dakota for a photo in their booth.
Attendees tune in to hear insights from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Foreign Affairs’ Editor Daniel Kurtz-Phelan.
Senator Martin Heinrich tests out XR technology at the Department of Energy booth.
Attendees enter the AI Expo for National Competitiveness.
An exhibitor showcases their technology to an AI Expo attendee.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn about hardware and software at the exhibitor booths.
Subscribe to SCSP’s YouTube Channel below to be the first to know when the AI Expo videos from the jam-packed two days drop.
