The U.S. government is working with critical infrastructure operators to integrate artificial intelligence into the nation’s most vital systems and strengthen cyber defenses, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said Tuesday.
“We have been working closely, and I believe it is functioning well to get models deployed throughout sectors as quickly as possible, and they can be used to secure systems,” he said at a USTelecom event. But he said business leaders need to pay close attention to how AI is being used.
“What CEOs should be thinking about is the agents that run on these systems and in your supply chain — having insight and visibility into who has authorization, what they are authorized to access, and where they are running in your system… it is an important thing to be on the radar,” he said.
Cairncross made his comments before attending a lunch at the White House featuring top AI tech leaders along with President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. The expected discussion topics included weighing the necessity of regulatory guardrails that AI executives have been discussing versus voluntary measures that Trump and Johnson have favored.
Some lawmakers have proposed stricter rules.
“What we’re looking for are pathways where our systems and the services they provide, the daily life that is supported by these systems, can be protected, can be upscaled, can use the the best in class technology as quickly as possible,” Cairncross said about the administration’s approach to regulation and innovation.