Field notes on AI in business
Practical writing on AI, automation and the day-to-day work of running a business. From the team that builds and runs AI systems.
AI compliance
Why a CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessment Is Not a Get-Out-of-Jail Card for AI Risk
Why a CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessment Is Not a Get-Out-of-Jail Card for AI Risk A lot of defense contractors are breathing a sigh of relief about CMMC Level 1. Self-assessment, 17 practices from NIST SP...
Basel IsmailMay 13, 2026
AI compliance
Defense Cyber Incident Reporting and the AI Tool Discovery Problem
Defense Cyber Incident Reporting and the AI Tool Discovery Problem DFARS 252.204-7012 gives you 72 hours. From the moment you discover a cyber incident affecting covered defense information, the...
Basel IsmailMay 13, 2026
AI compliance
CJIS Security Policy, Law Enforcement Data, and AI Tools
CJIS Security Policy, Law Enforcement Data, and AI Tools The FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division quietly updated its Security Policy to version 5.9.2 in late 2023, and if you are a...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
AI compliance
Continuous Monitoring Under FedRAMP When AI Models Update Themselves
Continuous Monitoring Under FedRAMP When AI Models Update Themselves FedRAMP's Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) program was designed for a world where systems change through deliberate, documented...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
AI compliance
How CMMC C3PAOs Will Treat AI Tools in Level 2 Assessments
How CMMC C3PAOs Will Treat AI Tools in Level 2 Assessments CMMC Level 2 assessments are starting to roll out in earnest, and a question that keeps coming up in conversations with defense contractors...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
AI compliance
Defense Manufacturing Execution Systems and the Generative AI Question
Defense Manufacturing Execution Systems and the Generative AI Question MES vendors have been on an AI feature binge. If you've attended any defense manufacturing trade show in the past eighteen...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
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AI compliance
Aerospace and Defense M&A Due Diligence: The AI Compliance Section
Aerospace and Defense M&A Due Diligence: The AI Compliance Section Defense M&A deal volume hit roughly $45 billion in 2023, and the pace through 2024 stayed aggressive as primes continued rolling up...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
AI compliance
The Five DoD Programs Where AI Risk Is Highest in 2026
The Five DoD Programs Where AI Risk Is Highest in 2026 The Department of Defense is pushing AI into everything, and the compliance surface area is expanding faster than most prime contractors can map...
Basel IsmailMay 12, 2026
AI compliance
DFARS 252.204-7012 and the AI Tool Inventory Question
DFARS 252.204-7012 and the AI Tool Inventory Question DFARS 252.204-7012, "Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting," has been a fixture in defense contracts since its...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
AI compliance
Why Defense Subcontractors Are the Weak Link in CMMC Compliance
Why Defense Subcontractors Are the Weak Link in CMMC Compliance The Pentagon has been talking about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification for years now, and the final CMMC 2.0 rule (32 CFR Part...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
AI compliance
EAR vs ITAR for AI Workloads: Knowing Which Regime Applies
EAR vs ITAR for AI Workloads: Knowing Which Regime Applies If you are running AI workloads that touch anything related to defense, aerospace, or dual-use technology, the classification question...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
AI compliance
FedRAMP Authorization for AI Tools: What the Process Actually Looks Like in 2026
FedRAMP Authorization for AI Tools: What the Process Actually Looks Like in 2026 If you are a defense contractor or a federal agency buyer evaluating AI tools right now, you have probably noticed...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
1,319 articles