Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop
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What happens when AI adoption outruns governance? We’ve seen this before. This time, the CSA is moving first.
Episode Summary
In this ClearTech Loop episode, Jo Peterson sits down with George Finney, Chief Security Officer for the University of Texas System and co-chair of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) AI Safety Council, to unpack what the CSA AI Safety Initiative is actually building—and how CISOs can use it right now. We talk vendor evaluation, AI governance, third-party risk, and why giving CISOs a literal seat at the table changes the calculus.
Listen/Watch
- Listen (Buzzsprout): https://www.buzzsprout.com/2248577/episodes/18003524
- Watch (YouTube): https://youtu.be/-Rb4zPjtHHk
We’ve Been Here Before
A breakthrough technology gets ahead of the security playbook, and visibility drops just as adoption surges. That was cloud in the early 2010s; it’s AI now. The difference: the CSA community already exists. Instead of waiting years to stand up a common language and control set, the initiative is using proven patterns from cloud security and applying them to AI—faster.
Inside the CSA AI Safety Initiative
- AI Controls Matrix to evaluate AI tools and vendors with consistent, vendor-agnostic criteria.
- Governance guardrails (think “AI firewalls” and policy patterns) to keep transparency and accountability in scope as capabilities scale.
- Third-party AI risk standards so procurement and security can vet AI-infused SaaS the same way they vet everything else.
- AI Safety Leadership Council to ensure CISOs have a dedicated voice alongside developers, vendors, and cloud practitioners.
The CISO’s Role in the Machine Age
As Jo puts it in the episode: “The buck stops with the CISO.” AI isn’t just another line item—it’s a new risk category that moves faster than policy. The initiative’s value is pragmatic: common controls, shared artifacts, and a forum where CISOs influence standards before they’re handed down.
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—jo peterson
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Resources Mentioned
- Project Zero Trust — George Finney
- Rise of the Machines: A Project Zero Trust Story — George Finney
Also available as an audiobook on Amazon and Audible, narrated by Daniel Thomas May — best known for his role in The Walking Dead.
See you in the Loop.