November 3rd, 2025

Reminder: Don’t miss out on our next premiere event — happy hour with the Washington Free Beacon’s Editor in Chief, Eliana Johnson, on November 6th at 5:30pm at Google’s D.C. office.

To join us, RSVP here.

Our last event was overbooked in a few hours, so sign up soon.

A special edition.

EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft and the Washington Reporter tackle AI and the future of tech

by the Washington Reporter

Microsoft teamed up with the Washington Reporter for the Reporter’s latest event in its recently-launched premiere events series, and the two former startups discussed everything from how artificial intelligence can help media outlets to how Microsoft is using its technology to partner with the Department of War and law enforcement agencies.

The event, hosted at Microsoft’s Innovation and Policy Center, featured Microsoft’s Ginny Badanes — who runs the company’s Tech for Society portfolio — and the Reporter’s editor-in-chief, Matthew Foldi.

Microsoft’s Suhail Khan welcomed more than 60 attendees from the Trump administration, Hill, White House, and K Street joined the duo for the discussion, which the Reporter’s CEO Brian Colas described as a “smashing success.”

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“Microsoft is a great partner,” Colas told the Reporter. “The work they’re doing on AI and serving the Department of War is crucial for our national security, and we appreciate them.”

Following the hour-long discussion, in which Badanes discussed how Microsoft fits in within the broader tech world, to how its AI tools transformed a once-skeptical local news outlet’s views towards AI, and even to how it has partnered with Minecraft to educate kids about responsible use of technology.

A lot of Microsoft’s tools “play in the middle of what we think is a trust-based relationship to build trust with institutions we think are important, like law enforcement,” Badanes explained.

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Foldi, for his part, discussed what it was like to interview President Donald Trump multiple times, and explained how the Trump administration’s embrace of new media stands in stark contrast with that of its predecessor.

After the event, Colas told the Reporter that “there is no better way to reach an audience of policymakers than through the Washington Reporter, and we look forward to many more premiere events.”

Among those in attendance were Hannah Eddins, Victoria Garrastacho, Grace Newton, Hannah Rawles, Nick Ballas, Erika Bone, Paul Foldi, Bonnie Glick, Melanie Meyers, Mike Joyce, Andy O’Brien, Charlie Roth, Mark Fraenkel, Garrett Huizenga, Nick Puglia, Alyssa Anderson, Samantha Cantrell, Vikram Prasad, and more.

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