Public-Private Partnerships for Frontier Technologies

An older man in a light blue collared shirt is speaking to a group of people, holding a document in his hand. He is gesturing with his left hand as he addresses the audience. In the background, there is a decorative plant with red flowers and a wall with a mural of branches.

Stanford Frontier Technology Lab hosted a dinner salon in the private dining room of Taverna in Palo Alto. The selective group of attendees spent the evening discussing how public-private partnerships can positively affect the pace and responsibility of emerging technology innovation.

Stanford Frontier Technology Lab’s John Weyant began the dinner discussion with special remarks. Professor Weyant, who was recognized as an IPCC major contributor and has spent decades working with both the public and private sectors, shared his perspectives on how public-private partnerships can be successful, particularly when it comes to developing frontier technologies.

Participants shared their thoughts on a variety of topic questions over the meal and into the evening:

How should the U.S. government think about investing in critical technologies that are developed in Silicon Valley? What are the best ways for federal and local governments to discover new opportunities in the Valley?
When thinking about supporting a robust global supply chain, how should various private and public sector groups constructively share information flow? What technological advances are present, or could be developed, that would make supply chains more efficient, transparent, and robust?
What are examples of successful public-private partnerships? What are some key takeaways from these prior partnerships that can be applied towards new collaborations between the private and public sectors?
Who should be regulating AI: the public sector, the private sector, public-private partnerships, or no one at all? How will these groups determine the future of democratized or regulated AI?
How the democratization and/or regulation of generative AI affect sectors ranging from energy to defense?
What changes do you see unfolding in terms of technological development with the current era of highly dynamic geopolitics? Will increased global competition ultimately help or hinder Silicon Valley innovation and U.S. prosperity?

The event was sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank.