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The Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT) has a new look this year: SIS Professors William Akoto, Samantha Bradshaw, and Trey Herr—all part of the Foreign Policy and Global Security Department—have taken over as co-directors. The Center, an interdisciplinary program committed to advancing research and policy on security and power dilemmas stemming from digital and emerging technologies, is entering a new chapter focusing on cutting-edge research, diverse partnerships, and revamped student fellows programs.

We caught up with Akoto, Bradshaw, and Herr to learn more about their research backgrounds, their most important technology policy issues, and their plans for CSINT.

What excites you about the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT) and the work being done? What drew you to wanting to lead the center?

We are thrilled by the opportunity to tackle some of the most pressing contemporary security challenges through CSINT. Leading the center allows us to bring distinguished scholars and thought leaders to our campus to engage with our community. This not only enriches our academic environment at SIS but also provides our students with unique opportunities to learn about innovative work in the field, stimulate their own research ideas, and build their professional networks.

There are tons of incentives for academic research to stay siloed in universities and this program is a great opportunity to pull the best of that work out into the light and apply it to hard policy problems of the day. On technology, on security, and with a bend toward the most significant social and political challenges faced by policymakers and the public.

What do the three of you bring to CSINT? How do your strengths and research backgrounds complement one another?

Our team brings a diverse set of strengths and research backgrounds that complement each other and enhance CSINT’s mission. For instance, Sam works on issues related to new technology, security, and democracy, examining how states co-opt technologies like social media and artificial intelligence for political ends. William specializes in the dynamics of interstate cyber conflict, focusing on how states leverage cyber and other emerging technologies to pursue national security objectives. Trey is a theatre major who got lost and wandered into an International Relations program and then a technology company, so he has lots of questions for just about everybody.

What changes are you looking to implement as the new directors?

First, we are building out four key areas of research: (1) State-Sponsored Cyber Operations; (2) Technology, Security, and the Geopolitics of the Firm; (3) the Democracy Innovation Lab; and (4) Frontier Technologies. These themes draw on our interests and expertise as individual faculty members, but also the broader perspectives, methodologies, and frameworks of our colleagues at SIS and AU who are working on cutting-edge issues at the nexus of technology, security, and innovation.

We are also developing partnerships outside of AU with think tanks like the Atlantic Council, companies like Microsoft, and media outlets like Compiler. Each of these collaborations is a way to bring leading practitioners from diverse professional backgrounds to engage with our SIS and AU community.

Finally, we have also revamped our student fellows program. Undergraduate and graduate students are working with us for a year on a variety of self-directed projects as well as participating in our events, including our speaker series but also our new tech-related professional development sessions. CSINT also works with partners like the Balsillie School of International Affairs to host the Technology Governance and Policy Challenge, where students compete to develop policy briefs in response to real-world scenarios at the intersection of new technology & governance.

What research questions, policy issues, or programs/events are you most excited about engaging with at CSINT?>

After 40 years of work, how is it that we still aren’t safe in cyberspace? Are cyber-attacks getting worse, and what role do states have in stopping them? What responsibility do the largest technology companies owe users, citizens, and voters in how they build, deploy, and govern their products? How are frontier technologies, like AI, quantum computing, AR/VR applications, or biotechnologies creating new questions and challenges for governance and security? How do we leverage the promises of technological innovation while mitigating the risk and harm that can come with them?

CSINT runs several events and research initiatives to address these fundamental questions. This includes William and Trey’s current research project estimating the cost of cyber espionage so that policymakers and other stakeholders can make informed decisions about how much to spend on countermeasures. Similarly, Sam’s recent work on identity-based disinformation, in collaboration with the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, advances critical conversations combatting identity-based disinformation and the weaponization of sexism, racism, and xenophobia for political gain.

In addition to research, we bring in leading speakers to share novel, innovative and cutting-edge research. On October 25th we welcomed Dr. Josephine Wolffe to discuss U.S. Government Responses to State-Sponsored Cyberattacks (2014-2024).

What are your goals for the center in the next year? In the next 3-5 years?

Conquer the world (just kidding!)

We want to build a space for more rigorous, more equitable, and more sophisticated conversations about the social, political, and security implications of new and digital technology. We want CSINT to be an engine for policy change on the issues we care deeply about, applying research to the hardest problems of the day. Additionally, we seek to serve as a vibrant forum that fosters collaboration within the diverse research community at the School of International Service. Our commitment extends to training the next generation of professionals who will confront the complex global issues arising from emerging technologies, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to drive meaningful change.