R Street Institute announces initiative on ‘nexus’ between AI and cybersecurity

The R Street Institute, a free market-oriented think tank, is starting a new working group focused on the tie-in between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity that includes members from key congressional offices, the cyber industry, digital rights groups, academia, and others, with a focus on developing policy recommendations.

The group includes representatives from Palo Alto Networks, Google, the Software & Information Industry Association and Shift5. Congressional staff from the offices of Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), and the Senate Armed Services Committee are also on board in advisory roles.

In addition to R Street representatives, the working group includes participants from the Center for a New American Security, Center for Democracy and Technology, the Army Cyber Institute, UC-Berkeley and Harvard.

“The R Street Institute is launching a six-month-long working group bringing together experts from government, the private sector, academia and civil society to examine use cases; existing regulatory and legislative proposals; and best practices and possible paths forward for policymakers and their staff, as well as the broader community, during this innovative and transformative era,” according to a Sept. 28 announcement.

The working group plans to start off with monthly meetings “to consider a range of topics from uses to safeguards, intending to identify current and future cases for AI applications in cybersecurity and offer best practices for addressing concerns and weighing them against potential benefits.”

The announcement said the group will produce reports and “host public and private events and briefings.” Brandon Pugh, director of the R Street cyber and emerging threats team, said, “This group comes at a critical time, as policymakers are wrestling with approaches to artificial intelligence, which must account for the benefits AI offers to cybersecurity while addressing concerns in an even-handed manner. Multidisciplinary perspectives are critical as we explore this topic, and I am thrilled that these leading experts are sharing their time and expertise.”

R Street provides research and a venue for stakeholder engagement across a broad range of policy issues, with a strong focus on cybersecurity.