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TechnologIST

IST’s monthly newsletter highlighting major issues at the intersection of technology and security

Read past issues of The TechnologIST

Q&A: Where do we go from here? IST Reflections on RSAC ‘26

Q&A: Where do we go from here? IST Reflections on RSAC ‘26

Once a year, the cybersecurity community converges on San Francisco. From the expo floor to vendor pop ups in Yerba Buena Gardens, the SOMA neighborhood is abuzz for four days with hackers, researchers, and government policy experts eager to share insights. But this year, the din was a little different.

AI, congress, critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, K-12 Cyber Defense Coalition, K-12 Education, RSA, RSAC, UnDisruptable27

April 2, 2026

Q&A: An AI Loss of Control “Warning Shot”

Q&A: An AI Loss of Control “Warning Shot”

How might you lose control of a system as complex as a frontier AI model? In this month's newsletter, we speak to the authors of IST's newest report diving into the risk of AI Loss of Control – that is, models diverging from authorized constraints, to the extent that a human operator can no longer prevent or constrain undesired outcomes - and presenting a framework for mitigation.

AI, AI Loss of Control, artificial intelligence, deception, model drift, risk reduction, scheming

February 19, 2026

Q&A: Approaching the Nuclear Brink?

Q&A: Approaching the Nuclear Brink?

With nuclear tensions on the rise, nuclear weapons have been in the headlines, and on our screens, lately. In the latest edition of the TechnologIST, IST’s Nuclear Policy team, Sylvia Mishra, Sahil V. Shah, Brandon Cortino, and Catherine Murphy discuss what the latest developments could mean for global security and stability.

AI, artificial intelligence, Moscow Treaty, NC3, New START Treaty, nuclear policy, nuclear weapons, strategic stability

November 24, 2025

Q&A: The Missing Middle: Solving America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap

Q&A: The Missing Middle: Solving America’s Deep-Tech Financing Gap

In this month's edition of The TechnologIST, Lillian Ilsley-Greene sits down with Fatima Faisal Khan to discuss a new report on how to close America's deep tech financing gap in strategic competition with China.

biotech, China, deep tech, energy, quantum, venture capital

October 31, 2025

Q&A: On Disrupting the Ransomware Ecosystem

Q&A: On Disrupting the Ransomware Ecosystem

What is a tabletop exercise, or TTX? How can TTXs be deployed in the ransomware context? In the latest edition of The TechnologIST, IST's Sophia Mauro sits down with Director for Digital Security Taylor Grossman to learn more about a recent TTX and IST's efforts to support disruption of the ransomware ecosystem.

blockchain, cryptocurrency, cyber, cybersecurity, disruption, Ransomware, TTX

October 21, 2025

Q&A: National security, competition, and risk reduction — AI at IST

Q&A: National security, competition, and risk reduction — AI at IST

As AI models continue to proliferate and gain prominence, what are the cross-sector implications for national security, strategic competitiveness, and more? In this month's edition of the TechnologIST, Lillian Ilsley-Greene sat down with IST AI experts Jennifer Tang, Gabrielle Tran, and Fatima Faisal Khan to hear about how their work addresses the potential risks and opportunities of AI.

AI, antitrust, CFIUS, China, chips, competition, national security, NVIDIA, outbound investment, TechnologIST, venture capital

August 29, 2025

Q&A: Separating the hype from reality

Q&A: Separating the hype from reality

Nuclear command, control, and communications systems are often called the “fourth leg” of the U.S. nuclear enterprise. In this month’s edition of the TechnologIST, IST Deputy Director of Nuclear Policy Sylvia Mishra joined us for a Q&A about IST’s recent primer on NC3 systems, drafted for a workshop focused on the integration of AI and NC3.

AI, NC3, nuclear

July 8, 2025

Q&A: Defending our nation’s schools against cyber threats

Q&A: Defending our nation’s schools against cyber threats

In the June edition of the TechnologIST, Director of Strategic Communications Sophia Mauro sat down with Michael Klein, Senior Director for Preparedness and Response at IST, to discuss the K-12 Cyber Defense Coalition.

June 5, 2025

Q&A: The Strategic Potential of Cyber Insurance

Q&A: The Strategic Potential of Cyber Insurance

In a new report, IST makes the case that cyber insurance has the strategic potential to be more than a passive player that uses annual renewal conversations around premiums to drive change. By becoming more active in their recommendations about cybersecurity products and services, cyber insurers can actually help their policyholders achieve better proactive, pre-incident cybersecurity.

bundling, cyber insurance, cyber resilience, cyber risk, cybersecurity, risk-mitigation, underwriting

April 29, 2025

Q&A: Defending Our Lifeline Sectors

Q&A: Defending Our Lifeline Sectors

We are too dependent on undependable things. What can we do about it? In this month’s edition of the TechnologIST, we sat down with IST Executive in Residence for Public Safety & Resilience Joshua Corman to learn more about UnDisruptable27.

critical infrastructure, cyber, cyber offense, hybrid warfare, ICS, Industrial Control System, OT, resilience, Volt Typhoon, water

March 31, 2025

Q&A: Reflecting on IST’s Mission in Action

Q&A: Reflecting on IST’s Mission in Action

In the February 2025 newsletter, on the heels of recent gatherings of the world's most prominent technology and policy leaders, members of IST leadership reflected on what they heard, what seems to be missing from global dialogue, and what IST can do about it.

AI, critical infrastructure, cyber, cybersecurity, Munich Cyber Security Conference, Paris Peace Forum, Public-private partnerships, Ransomware, WEF

February 28, 2025

Q&A: Mitigating Social GenAI’s Impact on Cognition, Society, and the Future

Q&A: Mitigating Social GenAI’s Impact on Cognition, Society, and the Future

How will generative AI affect our social cohesion? In this month’s edition of the TechnologIST, we sat down with IST's Generative Identity Initiative team, Gabrielle Tran and Eric Davis, to discuss their capstone report investigating the impacts of GenAI.

bias, genAI, generative AI, metacognition, personalization, productive friction

February 1, 2025

Q&A: Navigating AI Compliance

Q&A: Navigating AI Compliance

In this month's newsletter, we sat down with Senior Associate for Artificial Intelligence Security Policy Mariami Tkeshelashvili to learn more about the research process behind IST's latest report "Navigating AI Compliance, Part 1: Tracing Failure Patterns Through History," their findings, and what's next for this effort.

artificial intelligence, case study, compliance failure, GDPR, governance, risk-mitigation

December 17, 2024

Q&A: Implications of AI in Cybersecurity

Q&A: Implications of AI in Cybersecurity

In this month’s edition of The TechnologIST, we sat down with Associate for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies Jennifer Tang, Adjunct Cyber and Artificial Intelligence Policy Fellow Tiffany Saade, and Chief Trust Officer Steve Kelly to learn more about their recent report, The Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity.

artificial intelligence, Future of Digital Security, TechnologIST

November 8, 2024

Q&A: IST at the International Counter Ransomware Initiative

Q&A: IST at the International Counter Ransomware Initiative

In this month’s edition of The TechnologIST, we sat down with Ransomware Task Force colleagues Future of Digital Security Associate Trevaughn Smith, Deputy Director for Digital Security Taylor Grossman, Senior Director for International Cyber Engagement Elizabeth Vish, and Chief Strategy Officer and RTF Executive Director Megan Stifel to learn about the Ransomware Task Force's ongoing support for the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.

CRI, cybersecurity, Public-private partnerships, Ransomware

October 25, 2024

Q&A with Josh Corman on UnDisruptable27

Q&A with Josh Corman on UnDisruptable27

This month at BSides Las Vegas, IST Executive in Residence Joshua Corman announced the launch of UnDisruptable27, a new initiative that seeks to inform, influence, and inspire community action to strengthen the safety and security of our lifeline critical infrastructure systems by 2027. Director of Strategic Communications Sophia Mauro sat down with Josh to learn more about the newly-launched effort to strengthen the resilience of lifeline critical infrastructure.

China, critical infrastructure, TechnologIST

August 26, 2024