The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a non-partisan U.S. think tank and private foundation focused on technology and security. Founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt in October 2021,[1][2] SCSP's stated mission is to "make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies are reshaping our national security, economy, and society." It seeks to ensure that "America is positioned and organized to win the techno-economic competition between now and 2030."[3]
SCSP is also a subsidiary of The Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, the Schmidt family's private foundation.[4][5][6]
As of December 2023, SCSP's president and CEO is Ylli Bajraktari, former executive director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). Former NSCAI Chief of Staff Michael Gable serves as executive vice president, and former NSCAI Director of Operations and Designated Federal Officer Angela Ponmakha serves as vice president and Chief of Staff. There are 30 full-time staff members, including senior director for economy Liza Tobin, who formerly served as director for China at the White House National Security Council from 2019 to 2021.[9][10][11]
Activities
SCSP's core work is divided into six panels, including: foreign policy, intelligence, defense, economy, society, and future tech platforms.[12]
Recent notable events include the 2022 Global Emerging Technology Summit,[13] at which Jake Sullivan,[14]Kathleen H. Hicks,[15]Wendy Sherman,[16]Nancy Pelosi,[17] among other former senior U.S. and foreign government officials, delivered remarks. In May 2023, SCSP hosted the Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security attended by senior U.S. defense officials.[18][19] In September 2023, SCSP hosted the 2023 Global Emerging Technology Summit, for which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered video remarks.[20][21]
In late-November 2023, SCSP launched a joint project on "Artificial Intelligence, Human-Machine Teaming, and the Future of Intelligence Analysis” with ASPI in Canberra.[24]
Generative AI: The Future of Innovation Power, September 2023[27]
AI Governance Authority Options Memo, June 2023[28]
Mid-Decade Challenges to National Competitiveness, September 2022[29][30][31] In its coverage of the report, Axios wrote: "From SCSP's perspective, the geopolitical, technological, and ideological futures are all deeply interrelated: "By the end of this decade, we will know if we will live in a world shaped by free expression, tolerance, and self-determination or dictated by censorship and coercion."[32]