Security teams have spent years operating in reaction mode. Alerts fire, analysts scramble, and incident response often moves at human speed while adversaries move faster.

In this episode of ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson sits down with Evan Kirstel to talk about how generative AI is changing that reality. Evan shares practical examples of how AI powered triage is shrinking incident response timelines from hours to minutes and why speed, when paired with better analysis and guidance, can fundamentally change outcomes.

The conversation goes beyond faster detection and digs into what this shift really means for security teams and CISOs:

AI is enabling analysts to move from reacting after the fact to predicting threats as they emerge.

Entry level SOC teams are being up leveled with remediation paths and decision support, not just alerts.

Security and privacy controls can be embedded into AI development early without slowing innovation, and in many cases, actually accelerating it.

And CISOs are being pushed into a broader governance role as AI becomes both a critical capability and a growing threat surface.

If you’re trying to understand how AI is reshaping security operations today and what leaders need to be thinking about next, this episode brings clarity to the conversation.

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Key Quotes

“They can cut incident response times from hours to minutes. Just like an emergency room, minutes matter.” — Evan Kirstel

“I think this gives us a chance to really up level our more entry level SOC folks, and it gives them remediation paths. It doesn’t just find things, it gives solutions to the problem.” — Jo Peterson

Three Big Ideas from This Episode

1. AI powered triage changes the math of incident response

AI is compressing detection, analysis, and decision cycles. When response moves from hours to minutes, outcomes change and teams gain back control during critical moments.

2. Proactive security starts with better guidance, not just faster alerts

AI is helping teams predict and prepare, not just react. By offering remediation paths and context, it allows SOC analysts to make smarter decisions under pressure.

3. Governance becomes a core CISO responsibility in an AI driven world

As AI adoption accelerates, CISOs must balance speed with guardrails. Embedded security, privacy by design, and clear governance frameworks are now essential to maintaining trust and reducing risk.

Episode Notes / Links for Suzie to Fill Out

🎧 Listen: in the player above
▶ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BFkpNCOQfnw
📰 Subscribe to the ClearTech Loop Newsletter:
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/

Resources Mentioned

• NIST AI Risk Management Framework https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
• The Evan Kirstel Show https://www.youtube.com/@EvanKirstel
• ClearTech Research Insights https://cleartechresearch.com

AI has erased the perimeter. Security teams are no longer guarding walls — they’re managing airspace.

In this episode of ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson sits down with Deputy CISO Aby Rao to unpack what AI security really looks like when threats move through models, APIs, agents, and identity flows instead of firewalls and fences.

Aby explains why security teams are at an inflection point:

• No code and low code tools now let cyber teams build automation and identity workflows without relying on vendors.
• AI development is outpacing AI literacy, creating a widening gap between capability and understanding.
• And CISOs can no longer operate as castle guards — they must become bridges between high-velocity development and the governance functions responsible for responsible AI.

If you want to understand how CISOs should adapt to a boundaryless threat landscape — and what “air traffic control” for AI security actually means — this episode gives you the clarity you’re looking for.

👉 Subscribe to ClearTech Loop on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/

Key Quotes

“We have to break out of this castle guard mindset and think of us as air traffic controllers.” — Aby Rao

“The pace at which AI development is taking place, it has outgrown AI literacy and AI education.” — Aby Rao

“If you’re not actively involving your CISO, you really need to. You’re short-changing yourself.” — Jo Peterson

Three Big Ideas from This Episode

1. AI gives cyber teams new power — and new ownership.
With no code and low code tools, teams can now build custom workflows and agentic processes on their own data. That freedom comes with long-term responsibility.

2. Security by design only works if AI literacy exists first.
You can’t embed privacy, fairness, transparency, or explainability if the team doesn’t understand AI fundamentals.

3. CISOs must become the bridge.
They now sit between fast-moving developers and governance leaders in legal, audit, privacy, fairness, and ethics — translating risk and keeping the entire airspace safe.

Episode Notes / Links for Suzie to Fill Out

🎧 Listen: on player above
▶ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7OSuAiLZCgo
📰 Subscribe to the ClearTech Loop Newsletter:
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/

Resources Mentioned:

• NIST AI Risk Management Framework: https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
• CSA Trusted AI Course Materials: https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/education
• “Pack a Room Full of Governors” https://www.linkedin.com/posts/abyrao_pack-a-room-full-of-governors-standing-activity-7401658932416528384-PFxH/
• Previous Episode: AI Safety with Dutch Schwartz: https://cleartechresearch.com/bumpers-not-brakes/

AI is not a fix for a broken SOC. It exposes weaknesses you already have. In this ClearTech Loop episode, Jo Peterson talks with Dr. Anton Chuvakin — Senior Security Staff in Google Cloud’s Office of the CISO and one of the most respected voices in SOC modernization — about what “AI readiness” really means and why most teams are nowhere near it.

You’ll hear about:

• Why AI accelerates process debt instead of compensating for it
• The two forms of shadow AI already inside every enterprise
• The five foundations of an AI ready SOC: data quality, ownership, interoperability, probabilistic thinking, and metrics
• Why governance has to move at the speed of experimentation, not quarterly reviews
• How to evaluate AI tools through use cases instead of marketing promises

Anton has spent decades shaping security operations — from coining the term EDR to defining detection and response strategies as a Gartner Distinguished Analyst. Today, he helps global enterprises build the structural maturity required before AI can add any value at all.

Subscribe to the ClearTech Loop Newsletter on LinkedIn:
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Episode Description (Short):

Jo Peterson and Dr. Anton Chuvakin break down what AI readiness really requires and why most SOCs are not prepared for what AI will expose.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro and Anton’s background
01:15 Why AI exposes foundational weaknesses
03:45 Process debt and SOC workflow failures
05:20 Two forms of shadow AI inside enterprises
07:10 Data quality, ownership, and workflows
09:22 Five foundations of an AI-ready SOC
11:18 Why interoperability matters
12:40 Leaders and probabilistic thinking
14:05 Governance at the speed of AI
17:10 How to evaluate AI tools
19:25 Closing thoughts

About the Guest

Dr. Anton Chuvakin is Senior Security Staff in the Office of the CISO at Google Cloud. Previously a Research Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner, he has authored multiple books on security monitoring and log management and co hosts the Cloud Security Podcast.

Resources

Anton’s YouTube playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX5SvgMpS0s&list=PLkdSRxA6DyHtxH623M1WYuAYGpEXdvEqp

Google Cloud security best practices
https://cloud.google.com/security/best-practices

CSA AI Safety Initiative
https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/ai-safety-initiative

ClearTech Loop: George Finney on the CSA AI Initiative
https://cleartechresearch.com/the-csa-ai-safety-initiative-with-george-finney/