Timeline of Center for Security and Emerging Technology

This is a timeline of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).

Sample questions

This section provides some sample questions for readers who may not have a clear goal when browsing the timeline. It serves as a guide to help readers approach the page with more purpose and understand the timeline’s significance.

Here are some interesting questions this timeline can answer:

What are CSET's main research focuses since its inception? Which key reports and publications have been released by CSET that shape policy discussions on emerging technology? Who are the core research staff and leaders driving CSET’s initiatives? How has CSET contributed to policy recommendations related to AI and national security? What collaborations and partnerships has CSET formed to advance its mission? For more information on evaluating the timeline's coverage, see Representativeness of events in timelines.

Full timeline

Here are the inclusion criteria for various event types:

• For "Publication", the intention is to include the most notable publications. This usually means that if a publication has been featured by FHI itself or has been discussed by some outside sources, it is included. There are too many publications to include all of them.
• For "Website", the intention is to include all websites associated with FHI. There are not that many such websites, so this is doable.
• For "Staff", the intention is to include all Research Fellows and leadership positions (so far, Nick Bostrom has been the only director so not much to record here).
• For "Workshop" and "Conference", the intention is to include all events organized or hosted by FHI, but not events where FHI staff only attended or only helped with organizing.
• For "Internal review", the intention is to include all annual review documents.
• For "External review", the intention is to include all reviews that seem substantive (judged by intuition). For mainstream media articles, only ones that treat FHI/Bostrom at length are included.
• For "Financial", the intention is to include all substantial (say, over $10,000) donations, including aggregated donations and donations of unknown amounts.
• For "Nick Bostrom", the intention is to include events sufficient to give a rough overview of Bostrom's development prior to the founding of FHI.
• For "Social media", the intention is to include all social media account creations (where the date is known) and Reddit AMAs.
• Events about FHI staff giving policy advice (to e.g. government bodies) are not included, as there are many such events and it is difficult to tell which ones are more important.
• For "Project Announcement" or "Intiatives", the intention is to include announcements of major initiatives and research programs launched by FHI, especially those aimed at training researchers or advancing existential risk mitigation.
• For "Collaboration", the intention is to include significant collaborations with other institutions where FHI co-authored reports, conducted joint research, or played a major role in advising.

Time period	Development summary	More details

Year	Month and date	Event type	Details
2014	000000002024-06-01-0000June	Background	Jason Gaverick Matheny becomes the Director of IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity), where he leads programs focused on advanced research in AI, cybersecurity, and national security. His experience at IARPA would later be critical in the establishment of CSET.
2016–2017		Background	Increasing global awareness of the importance of artificial intelligence in national security takes center stage. As various governments begin discussing policies on AI safety and ethical AI, the need for a U.S. think tank focused on the intersection of technology and security becomes evident. Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) at Oxford and Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI) at Berkeley further accelerate research into AI’s long-term societal impacts, raising concerns about the dual-use nature of AI technologies.
2018		Pre-founding	Jason Matheny identifies gaps in U.S. policymaking regarding emerging technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence. With a focus on strengthening the U.S.'s understanding of AI’s geopolitical impacts, Matheny works closely with academic and governmental stakeholders to conceptualize the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).
2019	000000002024-01-15-0000January 15	Founding	CSET is officially founded at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. With an initial five-year grant of $55 million from Open Philanthropy, the center is launched to inform policymakers on the security implications of emerging technologies like AI and biotechnology. Jason Gaverick Matheny is named the founding director. CSET focuses on translating cutting-edge technology research into actionable policy advice.
2019	000000002024-01-01-0000January	Leadership	Jason Matheny brings his expertise from IARPA and experience in government technology research to lead CSET, focusing on U.S. national security interests related to AI, cybersecurity, and biotechnology. His leadership aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology research and practical national security policy. Dewey Murdick, formerly from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, joins as Director of Data Science.
2019	000000002024-07-01-0000July 1	First Report	CSET publishes its first report, “The Global AI Talent Landscape”, providing an analysis of AI talent distribution across major countries and its implications for national security. This report garners significant attention from U.S. policymakers.
2020	000000002024-03-10-0000March 10	Expansion	CSET expands its research portfolio, now focusing on AI talent flows, AI investments, and AI in biotechnology. This positions CSET as one of the primary think tanks at the intersection of technology and national security, providing key insights into the global AI landscape.
2020	000000002024-07-15-0000July 15	National Security Advisory	CSET publishes its first comprehensive analysis of China’s AI Strategy. Titled "China’s AI Development: Implications for the United States," the report emphasizes the rapid growth of Chinese AI capabilities and urges U.S. policymakers to prioritize AI research to remain competitive. The report receives significant attention from government agencies.
2020	000000002024-09-15-0000September 15	COVID-19 Response	In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSET publishes its report, "Artificial Intelligence and Pandemics: Using AI to Predict and Combat Disease." The report outlines how AI technologies can assist in forecasting disease outbreaks, tracking infections, and optimizing resource allocation in healthcare systems, highlighting the importance of AI in future global health crises.
2021	000000002024-01-20-0000January 20	Leadership Transition	Jason Matheny steps down as Director of CSET to join the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). Dewey Murdick takes over as Director, continuing CSET’s mission of advancing security through emerging technologies. Matheny's transition reflects the increasing role of AI in national security discussions at the highest levels.
2021	000000002024-02-01-0000February 1	National Security Commission on AI	Jason Matheny plays a key role in the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence's final report, which advises the U.S. government on AI strategy for national security. The report emphasizes AI’s significance as a critical component of future defense capabilities, calling for major investments in AI talent, research, and ethics.
2021	000000002024-08-01-0000August 1	International AI Collaboration	CSET collaborates with international organizations to assess global AI trends, particularly in military AI applications. The resulting report highlights the increasing role of AI in autonomous weapons systems and urges governments to establish ethical guidelines for the development of military AI.
2022	000000002024-02-20-0000February 20	Major Report	CSET releases a landmark report on AI Talent in the United States, titled "Keeping Top Talent: AI Talent Flows to and from the U.S." The report analyzes global AI talent migration patterns and calls for stronger U.S. policies to retain and attract AI researchers, as the U.S. faces increasing competition from China and Europe.
2022	000000002024-07-12-0000July 12	AI and National Security	CSET publishes its highly regarded analysis, “Harnessing AI: How China’s AI Ambitions Pose Challenges to U.S. Leadership." This report suggests that China's rapidly advancing AI ecosystem could threaten U.S. dominance in key areas such as defense and intelligence, pushing for more aggressive U.S. AI investment strategies.
2022	000000002024-10-18-0000October 18	Responsible AI	In light of growing concerns about the ethical use of AI in defense, CSET publishes a comprehensive report titled “Responsible AI in Defense: Recommendations for U.S. Policy.” The report stresses the need for ethical frameworks in military AI use, ensuring transparency and accountability in autonomous systems.
2023	000000002024-02-15-0000February 15	U.S. Policy Impact	CSET’s research on AI safety informs the Biden administration's Executive Order on AI Risk Management. The executive order, which lays the foundation for U.S. federal guidelines on the responsible development of AI systems, is directly influenced by CSET's recommendations on AI safety and AI governance frameworks.
2023	000000002024-08-10-0000August 10	Military AI	CSET releases a detailed report on the implications of AI in autonomous weapons systems and its role in future warfare. This report emphasizes the need for international collaboration to prevent the misuse of AI in military conflicts and calls for new treaties on autonomous weapons.
2023	000000002024-10-15-0000October 15	Ongoing Research	CSET continues to be a leader in researching the intersection of AI, biotechnology, and cybersecurity, with new reports on global AI policy trends and the implications of generative AI for national security. Its research remains instrumental in shaping both U.S. and international policy in emerging technologies.

Numerical and visual data

Google Scholar

The following table summarizes per-year mentions on Google Scholar as of