Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Miriam Vogel quoted in Built In article, “Why Racial Bias Still Haunts Speech-Recognition AI”

"Miriam Vogel, who is president and CEO at Equal AI, an organization that helps companies and policymakers address bias in AI, said the findings published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could have far-ranging implications for Black speakers using these systems, from being shut out of automated ordering or delivery systems, to being unfairly evaluated in job candidacy and promotion decisions. “'A lot of companies are using AI for key functions like hiring and firing, and don’t [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T21:38:43-04:00July 23, 2020|Social Impact|

Julie Smith quoted in POLITICO article, “How U.S., Allies Can Confront the China Challenge”

"Build Bridges: Others see big opportunities to respond to China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 'The EU and the U.S. should create a joint investment fund that would support investment projects abroad and counter China’s BRI,' said Julianne Smith, director of the Asia Program and the Geopolitics Program at the German Marshall Fund — building on work on infrastructure development already underway in the region and welcoming Japan and Australia..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T08:50:38-04:00July 22, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in The New York Times article, “U.S. Orders China to Close Houston Consulate, Citing Efforts to Steal Trade Secrets”

"Daniel Russel, who served in Mr. Stilwell’s job during the Obama administration, said closing the Houston consulate 'further reduces the few remaining diplomatic channels between the two sides and is a step that will prove difficult to reverse.' “'The China accusation that this move has more to do with presidential politics than with intellectual property is hard to argue with,' said Mr. Russel, now a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T21:37:36-04:00July 22, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Rachel Ellehuus quoted in Foreign Policy article, “4 Key Takeaways from the British Report on Russian Interference”

"While Russia has long honed its hacking and disinformation skills on neighboring countries in Eastern Europe, the report notes that Russia’s efforts to sway voters in Scotland ahead of the 2014 independence referendum marked the first known attempt to interfere in the democratic processes of a Western country. Rachel Ellehuus, the deputy director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was surprising that 'as far back as 2014, knowing the objectives and the tactics [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T08:52:07-04:00July 21, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Lisa Monaco quoted in Wired article, “Chinese Hackers Charged in Decade-Long Crime and Spying Spree”

"'I think the 2015 agreement was a major accomplishment, and it followed sustained pressure by the Obama administration on the Chinese government regarding malicious cyberactivity including intellectual property theft,' says Lisa Monaco, former homeland security advisor to Obama and currently a partner at law firm O’Melveny & Myers. 'But the resurgence in activity by Chinese cyberactors demonstrates that cyberdeterrence must be strategic, coordinated, and sustained. An agreement is only going to be effective if there is a commitment to holding the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T21:36:22-04:00July 21, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Mike Singh writes in The New York Times: “When China Met Iran”

"Leaked news this month that China and Iran had come to the verge of signing a 25-year trade and military partnership agreement struck like a geopolitical storm in Washington — a rising rival of America and a longtime foe joining forces to threaten the United States’s predominant position in the Middle East. "The agreement ambitiously promises to bring a huge Chinese presence into Iran’s economic development, in exchange for a regular supply of heavily discounted Iranian oil..." Read the full article [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T17:42:36-04:00July 21, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy and Gabrielle Chefitz write in NBC’s Think: “China’s Military Capabilities Are Gaining on the U.S. The Pentagon Needs to Take Bold Steps.”

"The next U.S. administration will face an increasingly emboldened and aggressive China — one that has shown a growing willingness to use coercive measures to stake its territorial claims from the South China Sea to Taiwan to the Indian border region. Although neither Washington nor Beijing wants a war, there is a real risk that miscalculation could cause a crisis to spiral into a conflict between these two nuclear-armed powers. "To prevent conflict, the United States must maintain the military capability [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T17:47:11-04:00July 21, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Matt Waxman and national security leaders urge Congress to provide election officials with additional funds

"American elections, the bedrock of our democracy, face two extraordinary challenges this year: Covid-19 and combatting foreign interference. While these twin challenges are first and foremost a test of our democracy, they are also a threat to our national security. We urge you to provide election officials with the resources they need to protect our elections this year. "As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, state and local governments face significant and unexpected costs as they prepare to provide safe in-person [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T12:34:28-04:00July 20, 2020|Press Releases|

Matt Waxman interviewed on The Lawfare Podcast, “The Forgotten War Remembered”

"This year marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. Though often called the 'Forgotten War,' the Korean War has highly conditioned much of our contemporary international politics in East Asia, and the people of Korea continue to live with its aftermath, both in the north and in the south. And the shadow of the Korean War looms large over something we often debate on Lawfare—war powers. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the U.S. entry into the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T08:58:19-04:00July 20, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Miriam Vogel quoted in IFSEC Global article, “Why AI and Facial Recognition Software Is Under Scrutiny for Racial and Gender Bias”

"In the United States the issue of bias in AI is most explosive. Writing on techcrunch.com, Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of Equal AI, believes that while racism has its historical roots, 'AI now plays a role in creating, exacerbating and hiding these disparities behind the facade of a seemingly neutral, scientific machine.' She says one solution is to ensure a more diverse tech workforce – particularly in gender and race – but that recent data show that the proportion of [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T12:14:32-04:00July 20, 2020|Social Impact|

About Rebecca Skoryanc