ClearTech Loop: In the Know, On the Move
ClearTech Loop: In the Know, On the Move
Podcast Description
ClearTech Loop is a fast, focused podcast delivering sharp, soundbite-ready insights on what’s next in cybersecurity, cloud, and AI. Hosted by Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst at ClearTech Research, each 10-minute episode explores today’s most pressing tech and risk issues through a business-focused lens. Whether it’s CISOs rethinking cyber strategy or AI reshaping risk governance, ClearTech Loop brings clarity to a shifting landscape—built for tech leaders who don’t have time for fluff. We cut through hype. We rethink assumptions. We keep you in the loop.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast addresses key topics in contemporary tech and risk management, including cybersecurity innovations, cloud strategy, and AI governance. Notable episodes cover themes like positioning security as an innovation partner in 'Security as an Enabler' and quantifying cyber risk in 'CISO Playbook,' emphasizing practical strategies for engaging executive boards and effective governance.
Season 2 of ClearTech Loop is built around three questions:
How is AI changing the way organizations think about risk?
What does stronger cybersecurity leadership look like right now?
How should leaders rethink cloud strategy as business and technology keep shifting?
Hosted by Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst at ClearTech Research, ClearTech Loop is a fast, focused podcast covering AI, cybersecurity, and cloud risk through a business leadership lens.
Each 10-15 minute episode explores the issues shaping modern technology strategy and the decisions leaders cannot afford to ignore.
From governance and resilience to infrastructure change and emerging risk, ClearTech Loop helps leaders make sense of what is shifting, what matters most, and what comes next.
What does AI security actually look like inside real organizations?
In this episode of ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson talks with Todd Smith, SVP and Director of Customer IAM and Threat Intelligence at Ameris Bank, about shadow AI, non human identities, and what AI defense looks like in environments where identity, fraud, and security are tightly connected.
They unpack why shadow AI is both an IT and security issue, why blocking AI tools is not a long term strategy, and how organizations are trying to bring more visibility and control to environments where AI adoption is already happening across teams.
Todd explains how shadow AI creates real risk through data leakage, IP exposure, and regulatory pressure, especially when employees turn to unapproved tools to move faster. The conversation also highlights the role of training, as organizations shift from simply restricting behavior to helping employees understand how to use AI safely.
The discussion then moves to non human identities, where Todd describes the operational challenge of managing identities that do not follow a clean lifecycle. These identities can accumulate over time, often without clear ownership, creating a growing need for discovery, cleanup, and better control moving forward.
From there, Jo and Todd explore AI defense from a practical standpoint. Instead of starting with external threats, the conversation focuses on understanding what is happening inside the environment first, including how AI interacts with data, identity, and access. That internal visibility becomes the foundation for any broader defense strategy.
This episode is especially relevant for CIOs, CISOs, security leaders, and identity leaders working through the realities of AI adoption, governance, and risk in enterprise environments.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Todd Smith and episode context
01:40 Shadow AI: IT problem, security problem, or both?
04:50 Discovery, visibility, and managing shadow AI
07:55 Security as the “Department of Education”
10:45 Non human identities and lifecycle challenges
13:20 AI defense: starting inside the environment
Guest Bio
Todd Smith is SVP and Director of Customer IAM and Threat Intelligence at Ameris Bank. His work spans identity, fraud, threat intelligence, and AI security in financial services environments. He has held leadership roles across Ameris Bank, SoFi, Barclays, Citi, and the FBI, focusing on identity, cyber fraud, and intelligence driven security operations.
Additional Resources
- National Institute of Standards and Technology AI Risk Management Framework: https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
- National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework
- MITRE ATT&CK Framework: https://attack.mitre.org/
- Season 1 ClearTech Loop: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2248577
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