The CSA AI Safety Initiative with George Finney | ClearTech Loop

AI is moving fast — faster than most governance models can keep up.
So what happens when the people who built the frameworks for cloud security take on AI safety?

In this episode of ClearTech Loop, 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 break down what the CSA AI Safety Initiative is building — and why CISOs need to be in the room early.

They discuss:

How CSA is applying its proven cloud frameworks to AI safety
What “AI firewalls” and the AI Controls Matrix actually mean in practice
How third-party risk management evolves in an AI-driven world
Why this initiative gives CISOs a direct voice in defining global AI standards
Watch for: real insights, practical guidance, and a rare behind-the-scenes look at how AI security frameworks are taking shape — before they hit your audit checklist.

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.
Cloud Security Alliance – AI Safety Initiative
CSA AI Controls Matrix
Timestamp Chapters

0:00 – Intro
0:35 – Who is George Finney
1:40 – What the CSA AI Safety Initiative is doing
3:15 – How AI security parallels early cloud adoption
5:05 – The role of CISOs in AI governance
7:20 – Building the AI Controls Matrix and AI firewalls
9:10 – Why this initiative matters for every organization
10:45 – Closing thoughts

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