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
FISMA, FIPS 140-3, and the Cryptographic Boundary Problem for AI Tools
FISMA, FIPS 140-3, and the Cryptographic Boundary Problem for AI Tools If you are deploying AI tools anywhere near federal information systems, you have a cryptographic boundary problem. It is...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
AI compliance
DoD CIO Memo on AI Use and the Implications for Contractors
DoD CIO Memo on AI Use and the Implications for Contractors The DoD CIO's office has been quietly building a framework for how artificial intelligence gets used across defense workflows, and the...
Basel IsmailMay 11, 2026
AI compliance
The CMMC Phase 1 Reality Check: What Defense Contractors Should Have Done by Now
The CMMC Phase 1 Reality Check: What Defense Contractors Should Have Done by Now The CMMC 2.0 final rule (32 CFR Part 170) went effective on December 16, 2024. The companion DFARS rule (48 CFR) is...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
AI compliance
October 1, 2026: The CMMC Cliff Every Defense Sub Should Have on Their Calendar
October 1, 2026: The CMMC Cliff Every Defense Sub Should Have on Their Calendar The final CMMC 2.0 rule hit the Federal Register on October 15, 2024, with an effective date of December 16, 2024. That...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
AI compliance
NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3 and the AI Tooling Question Nobody Asked the Authors
NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3 and the AI Tooling Question Nobody Asked the Authors NIST published SP 800-171 Revision 3 in May 2024, finalizing the update after a lengthy comment period that drew over 3,000...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
AI compliance
Swiss Automation, the DOJ Settlement, and the Lesson for Defense Cyber Programs
Swiss Automation, the DOJ Settlement, and the Lesson for Defense Cyber Programs In December 2025, Swiss Automation Inc., a Florida-based defense contractor specializing in fire control systems and...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
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AI compliance
Aerospace Engineering, CAD Files, and the Public AI Tool That Becomes an Export
Aerospace Engineering, CAD Files, and the Public AI Tool That Becomes an Export An engineer at a defense contractor is working late on a turbine blade geometry problem. The internal knowledge base is...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
AI compliance
GovCloud Is Not Enough: Why CMMC Level 2 Requires More Than a Cloud Choice
GovCloud Is Not Enough: Why CMMC Level 2 Requires More Than a Cloud Choice I keep running into the same assumption in conversations with defense contractors preparing for CMMC Level 2 assessments. It...
Basel IsmailMay 10, 2026
AI compliance
Trade Surveillance, Insider Trading, and the AI Tool That Could Become Your Witness
Trade Surveillance, Insider Trading, and the AI Tool That Could Become Your Witness Every major broker-dealer and most mid-tier firms now run some form of AI-driven trade surveillance. The systems...
Basel IsmailMay 9, 2026
AI compliance
Investment Advisor Marketing Rule (Rule 206(4)-1) and AI-Generated Content
The Marketing Rule Meets AI-Generated Content: A Supervision Problem Nobody Fully Scoped The SEC's revised Marketing Rule, Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act, went into effect on...
Basel IsmailMay 9, 2026
AI compliance
Private Equity Firms and the AI Tool Question in LP Due Diligence
Private Equity Firms and the AI Tool Question in LP Due Diligence If you've reviewed a limited partner due diligence questionnaire in the last twelve months, you've probably noticed something new...
Basel IsmailMay 9, 2026
AI compliance
Why Bank Boards Need an AI Risk Reporting Line on the Quarterly Pack
Why Bank Boards Need an AI Risk Reporting Line on the Quarterly Pack If your bank's quarterly board risk report still treats AI as a subset of "technology risk" or "operational risk," you're already...
Basel IsmailMay 9, 2026
1,319 articles