This two-week virtual course runs from June 19 to July 2 and is designed for law and policy graduate students, recent graduates, policy professionals, and staffers interested in managing national security risks related to advanced AI.
Course Components:
- Lunchtime Lectures with Q&A: Daily expert-led sessions (~1 hour each from 12pm - 1pm ET) covering foundational legal frameworks and critical issues in AI and national security.
- Readings & Discussions: Suggested readings to be completed ahead of lectures and optional evening discussion groups (~1.5 hours each) for deeper exploration of course topics.
Certificate of completion
Participants aiming to earn a certificate of completion and become eligible for consideration for a paid fellowship with expert mentorship must:
- Attend at least 80% of lunchtime lectures.
- Complete assigned readings.
- Participate in at least three evening discussion group sessions.
Policy professionals and staffers who prefer selective participation are welcome to attend lectures or discussions of interest, but certificate and fellowship eligibility require meeting the above criteria.
Fellowship eligibility
Law and policy students or recent graduates who receive a certificate of completion may submit a short research proposal after the course to be considered for a paid fellowship with expert mentorship.
Course Topics Include:
- An overview of AI and national security risks and US AI policy
- Foundations of national security law, including the DPA, IEEPA, DFARS, and export control laws
- The AI regulatory landscape in China
- Military applications of advanced AI
- Recent developments in compute governance following the release of Deepseek R1
- Securing AI infrastructure
- Meeting energy demand for compute in the US
- US government-industry public-private partnerships for advanced AI
- Responsible scaling policies and national security
Applications are due by May 25. Apply by May 10 for early bird consideration.
Students and recent graduates: apply here
Policy researchers and staffers: express interest here
FAQ
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CONTACT
The Vista Institute for AI Policy is a fiscally sponsored project of Rethink Priorities, EIN 84-3896318.