David Kertai

Debate over AI’s workforce impact focuses too narrowly on whether it creates or eliminates jobs. Rather than impose new reporting requirements on businesses, policymakers should commission studies and expand existing surveys to capture how AI transforms work, not just changes in headcount.

Major agreements, new participants, and key diplomatic and industrial milestones in the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to secure global supply chains that underpin AI and other advanced technologies.

As employers increasingly seek workers who can apply AI alongside domain expertise, universities should integrate AI across disciplines—not just standalone AI or computer science programs—to prepare graduates for the modern workforce.

Rather than creating a new funding program for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Congress should incorporate its funding into the reauthorization of the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. This approach would preserve critical cybersecurity services while improving coordination between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Center for Internet Security.

Cities that are successfully scaling AI are investing in workforce upskilling alongside governance and technology deployment. Case studies from Washington, DC, San Jose, Seattle, and Cleveland show that employee training and AI literacy are critical to turning pilot projects into lasting improvements in public service delivery.

The National Vulnerability Database is struggling with growing backlogs, outdated processes, and overlapping responsibilities that threaten its effectiveness. NIST should improve coordination with CISA, modernize vulnerability management systems, and strengthen stakeholder engagement to restore trust and efficiency.

Five states—Utah, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina—are showing how centralized AI sandboxes, oversight frameworks, and clear evaluation metrics can help governments move beyond isolated pilot programs and scale AI tools to deliver measurable improvements in public services.

As AI-powered cyber threats become more advanced, the federal government should modernize the CyberCorps SFS program by integrating AI-security training, reforming cyber hiring pipelines, and expanding training infrastructure to build a stronger cybersecurity workforce.

Cyberattacks are rising across state and local governments, and the blog recommends that all states adopt coordinated strategies, clear standards, and stronger cyber capabilities to close security gaps and improve resilience.

State and local governments face rising cybersecurity risks that strain budgets, disrupt services, and erode public trust. Governments need targeted investments in modern infrastructure, continuous monitoring, and stronger third-party risk management to protect critical services.

While the U.S. has focused on securing AI systems themselves, it must urgently shift toward using AI defensively—through coordinated government, industry, and infrastructure efforts—to counter the growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks on existing systems.

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure—particularly health care—are escalating, and Congress should pass the Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act and expand similar sector-specific cybersecurity programs across all critical infrastructure sectors to provide tailored funding, guidance, and support.