Public-Private Partnerships For AI And Innovation
Arati Prabhakar
Former Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Vivek Viswanathan
Special Assistant to the President
Arati Prabhakar and Vivek Viswanathan are interviewed by Ernestine Fu Mak. Prabhakar is the former Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, DARPA, and NIST. Viswanathan is a SIEPR Policy Fellow who served in the White House as a senior policy advisor.
The conversation focuses on the critical relationship between the public and private sectors in advancing technological innovation—from how DARPA’s grant to Moderna enabled the rapid COVID-19 vaccine response to how decades of semiconductor research power today’s devices.
The speakers also unpack the AI Executive Order, the challenges of regulating emerging technologies while fostering innovation, and the importance of including diverse stakeholders in shaping AI policy.
Joe Felter and Eric Volmar also provide special remarks.
Key Takeaways
The U.S. Innovation System Depends on Strong Public–Private Partnership
Many of America’s biggest breakthroughs—chips, clean water, vaccines, defense tech—were possible because the government funded early R&D while industry scaled it.
DARPA’s Early Bets Leading to Rapid mRNA Vaccines
Years before COVID-19, DARPA invested in mRNA as a fast-response platform, enabling vaccine development in weeks rather than years once the pandemic hit.
Federal Agencies Have Quietly Driven Semiconductor Progress
Government R&D laid the groundwork for technologies like gallium nitride and advanced lithography, which now power both commercial electronics and military systems.
The AI Executive Order Aimed to Regulate Harm Without Slowing Innovation
The White House focused on enforcing existing laws while working closely with companies, researchers, civil rights groups, and labor leaders to create a unified national approach.
The Biggest Long-Term Challenge Is Workforce Disruption
AI will reshape not just manufacturing but white-collar and knowledge work, requiring new training pathways, protections for workers, and better early-warning systems for economic displacement.