Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Miriam Vogel quoted in Architectural Digest article, “The Gender Bias Behind Voice Assistants”

"... UNESCO argues that if people do, in fact, prefer the female-sounding helper, it’s mainly because we’ve been conditioned to feel more comfortable making requests of women. But by not questioning this conditioning, says Miriam Vogel, executive director of Equal AI, a nonprofit formed to address and reduce unconscious bias in the field of artificial intelligence, 'we’re teaching our next generation to double down on those stereotypes.' "...Vogel likes Q but thinks the fix isn’t quite that simple, because un-gendering AI [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:41:10-05:00November 5, 2019|News|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Hill article, “Progressives Press Democrats to Rethink Israel Policy”

"Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said American military support largely deals with longer range threats from Lebanon, Syria, Iran and, in part, the Gaza Strip, with little impact or influence on Israeli policies and actions in the West Bank. “‘If, tomorrow, we said none of our funds could be used to support annexation, we could still provide the same amount,' he wrote in an email to [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:37:12-05:00November 5, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy and Avril Haines speak at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Conference

"Current and former government officials spoke at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence conference in Washington, DC. During this portion, foreign affairs experts, including former Obama administration Defense Under Secretary Michèle Flournoy and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, discussed how the world is approaching the growth of artificial intelligence in the world and the importance for the U.S. to lead on it’s growth and implementation while fostering strong international cooperation..." Watch the full discussion here: Full Discussion

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:31:46-05:00November 5, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy on Freakonomics podcast, “Speak Softly and Carry Big Data”

"Do economic sanctions work? Are big democracies any good at spreading democracy? What is the root cause of terrorism? It turns out that data analysis can help answer all these questions — and make better foreign-policy decisions. Guests include former Department of Defense officials Chuck Hagel and Michèle Flournoy and Chicago Project on Security and Threats researchers Robert Pape and Paul Poast. Recorded live in Chicago; Steve Levitt is co-host..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:11:16-05:00October 30, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy testifies before the House Armed Services Committee during Future of Defense Task Force Hearing

"The Geostrategic and Technological Landscape: The resurgence of great power competition combined with the unprecedented pace of technological disruption require the United States to reimagine how we deter and, if necessary, fight and prevail in a future conflict. Central to this challenge is ensuring the U.S. military retains its operational and technological edge over a revanchist Russia and particularly a rising China. "Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has enjoyed a period of unrivaled military and technological [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:28:33-05:00October 29, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco on CNN’s State of the Union and New Day

Lisa Monaco, former Homeland Security Advisor to Barack Obama, discusses the national security implications of the raid on Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi with Andrew McCabe, former Deputy Director of the FBI. Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:16:29-05:00October 29, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bridge Colby writes with David Ochmanek in Foreign Policy: “How the United States Could Lose a Great-Power War”

"The U.S. armed forces are now preparing for an age of great-power competition and rightly so. The 2018 National Defense Strategy shows the Defense Department is focused on the threats posed by Russia and especially China to U.S. interests, allies, and established partners such as Taiwan. "For now, U.S. forces appear poorly postured to meet these challenges. That’s because both Russia and China have developed formidable networks of missiles, radars, electronic warfare systems, and the like to degrade and potentially even [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:12:56-05:00October 29, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Nick Rasmussen on NPR’s Morning Edition, “Examining What Leader’s Death Means to ISIS’ Future”

"NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Nicholas Rasmussen, ex-director of the National Counterterrorism Center, about the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi..." Listen to the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:14:31-05:00October 28, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Despite Baghdadi Raid, Some Analysts Question U.S. Ability to Prevent ISIS Resurgence”

"‘When you think about the impact it will have on ISIS going forward, this is more like the close of a chapter, but by no means the end of the story,' said Nick Rasmussen, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center during the last two years of President Barack Obama’s tenure and the first year of the Trump administration. “‘In terms of the immediate impact on the lethality of the group... or the degree to which ISIS as an organization [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:22:34-05:00October 27, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro quoted in PBS News Hour article, “Why the U.S. Decision in Syria Has Left Some Allies Anxious”

"After the U.S. left the Kurds behind in Syria, some in Israel, arguably one of America’s closest allies, are wondering if they can depend on American protection, said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. “‘Members [within Israel] of the U.S. camp have less to fall back on now,' said Shapiro. 'They carry more of the burden against the dangerous actors in the region.' "... After U.S. troops began pulling out of northeast Syria last week, Israeli media was 'rife with [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:18:56-05:00October 25, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc