Threading the Needle

Threading the Needle is a weekly Substack newsletter authored by Anton Leicht, launched in June 2024. It focuses on the political economy of advanced AI, exploring how institutions, political incentives, and geopolitical forces intersect with rapid technological change. The publication is organized around three main topic areas: Politics and AI Policy, Geopolitics and Middle Powers, and Political Strategy. Anton Leicht is a visiting scholar with the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He holds an M.Sc. in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and completed a doctoral dissertation on democratic oversight of AI agents at Bayreuth University. Before his research career, he worked in parliamentary, governmental, and public affairs roles in Germany and the EU. Leicht's writing engages with questions such as how the AI safety movement can maintain political relevance, how middle-power countries can shape global AI governance, and what political conditions are necessary for a beneficial AGI transition. The newsletter has thousands of subscribers, is free to read with payments disabled, and operates with full editorial independence. Leicht's work has been supported by Emergent Ventures (a Mercatus Center grant program) and Coefficient Giving.