Emerging Technologies Adviser
Enlightening Politicians on Technology and National Security
For Divyansh Kaushik (SCS 2019, 2022), national security depends on the U.S. government making informed decisions about dual-use emerging technologies and how to maintain American leadership in these areas — and that requires strong partnerships with the private sector. As a vice president at Beacon Global Strategies, Divyansh provides strategic guidance on AI, semiconductors, biotech and data security to help ensure the U.S. wins the global tech competition and mitigate threats from foreign adversaries.
“I realized how important it is for people like me to be in Washington, D.C., and to help define the next generation of policy actions,” he says. “I get the opportunity to help shape how politicians approach those things.”
A good example of the application of Divyansh’s expertise is his work with former President Joe Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, which boosted funding for domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing. He looked at the supply chain security of computer processing components made abroad, finding that Americans’ data was exposed to risk and the country overly relied on certain regions for critical parts. By helping politicians understand the vulnerabilities, Divyansh and other private sector experts influenced important issues related to national security and economic development.
Divyansh also advises on countering strategic risks from the People’s Republic of China, ensuring that U.S. policy prioritizes security over dependency. In a recent address to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, he covered the Department of Energy’s role in advancing AI, examining from where the talent working these topics originates and which economies support their innovation.
“It's about digging deeper into topics that you don't know anything about and quickly grasping research and implications,” he says. “To answer questions about protecting a technology while disseminating it worldwide — and making sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands — the government needs to have the right information.”
Story by Elizabeth Speed