In this episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo moderates a timely and wide-ranging conversation on the future of AI policy and governance with Sarah Beth Jansen, a senior fellow at the McCrary Institute and longtime DC policy expert, and Austin Carson, founder of SeedAI and former legislative director for Rep. Mike McCaul. The discussion covers the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, sector-specific regulatory approaches, and how Congress can play a constructive role without stifling innovation. Both guests emphasize the importance of local experimentation, procurement reform, and broad stakeholder engagement. With AI poised to shape everything from national security to everyday business operations, the episode underscores the urgent need to develop trustworthy, inclusive, and forward-looking frameworks that can scale with the technology.

Main Topics Covered:

• The White House's AI Action Plan and why it marks a pivotal policy moment
• The case for sector-specific approaches to AI regulation
• The role of Congress in shaping balanced, innovation-friendly guardrails
• The importance of state-level initiatives like Utah’s AI sandbox
• Federal procurement as a lever for responsible AI adoption
• Hopes and fears around AI governance and public trust

Key Quotes:

“We've been using AI or machine learning in our products for over a decade and that's almost a surprise to some members of Congress who haven't really dug into [AI] yet.” — Sarah Beth Jansen “AI policy is everything policy now… every single member on the Hill could find something constructive to do involving artificial intelligence in their committee. On one hand, AI is frankly an excuse to find crack back open issues that you may want to crack back open. On the other hand, there is kind of like this infinite fractal space of where AI is going to touch the economy [and] going to touch scientific discovery.” — Austin Carson “Before the federal government can come in and say these are what the standards should be… you need to have the ability for there to be input from a variety of different sources.” — Sarah Beth Jansen “My biggest fear is that AI will be developed and regulated and considered by a group of extraordinarily small number of people in the bay, and in D.C., and in New York instead of people around the country. — Austin Carson “[Congress] shouldn't be over prescriptive in any legislation they do... because we all know that Congress unfortunately does not pass legislation very quickly. And I think for them to be relevant they need to not be so specific that they just take them themselves out of the game.” — Sarah Beth Jansen Relevant Links and Resources: White House AI Action Plan Utah's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy AI Across America Project

Guest Bios:

Sarah Beth Jansen is Senior Director of Government Affairs & Policy Counsel at The Franklin Square Group. She’s a senior fellow at the McCrary Institute and a seasoned Washington policy expert specializing in cybersecurity, surveillance, and IT policy. She has served in senior staff roles on both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. She holds degrees from Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

Austin Carson is the founder of SeedAI, a nonprofit working to expand public-sector understanding and engagement with artificial intelligence. He previously led government affairs at NVIDIA and served as legislative director for Rep. Mike McCaul when he chaired the House Homeland Security Committee. His work now focuses on facilitating AI literacy and policymaking across sectors and communities.