Washington wants AI to move at machine speed. Unfortunately, getting AI into government still moves at the speed of a three-legged tortoise navigating a procurement protest. Meet FedRAMP, the authorization obstacle course that makes getting a security clearance look like ordering lunch.
As we all know, for years, cloud authorization has meant mountains of paperwork, armies of consultants, and enough compliance checklists to qualify as a national forest. Startups need not apply unless they’ve got deep pockets and a lawyer on speed dial.
But here’s the delicious irony: AI may eat the bureaucracy built to regulate it.
Anthropic’s Mythos turned cybersecurity on its head. The old assumption that defenders have time to find and patch vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them – hit an anvil like Wile E. Coyote.
If AI can find vulnerabilities at machine speed, why are we still authorizing security with mountains of static documentation? Why wait months for an assessment when AI can continuously monitor configurations, identify threats, and generate compliance evidence? Why should 20 agencies assess the same infrastructure? What does this mean for 3PAOs?
The stakes are bigger than paperwork. Delays mean slower mission capability, fewer competitors, and another advantage for hyperscalers. Meanwhile, China isn’t waiting for Uncle Sam’s compliance homework.
FedRAMP should accelerate secure innovation, not become the DMV of cloud computing.
Should Congress and the FedRAMP PMO sit down with the frontier models – and create a whole new automated cloud and big-picture government cyber security solution? Wouldn’t we be safer with the smarties inside the tent rather than on a leash?