In an effort led by NVIDIA, more than three dozen technology companies, including Microsoft, have banded together to form the Open Secure AI Alliance. The new organization is dedicated to supporting the wide availability of open frontier AI models, which can be leveraged for cyber defense, along with other uses. The formation of this organization follows last week’s publication of the “Open Weights and American AI Leadership” open letter, which urges policymakers to support an open AI ecosystem.
Thank you for reading. Below, we’ve rounded up additional tech policy news and shared a featured podcast. Have a great summer weekend.
This Week in Washington
- Washington Examiner: Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) released a new draft of their sweeping bipartisan AI legislation shortly before the House of Representatives left D.C. for August recess. The bill now heads to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with the two representatives hoping for a hearing on the topic in September.
- Nextgov: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) officially launched its voluntary testing program for AI. The program aims to standardize the evaluation of AI model performance through common data, metrics, and scoring. Google, xAI, and Microsoft have agreed to evaluate their models through the federal government.
- Roll Call: At a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s Employment and Workforce Safety Subcommittee, Senators Jim Banks (R-IN) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) advocated for improved federal data about how AI is used in the workplace. In December, the two lawmakers introduced a bill to include questions about AI use in federal surveys.
- POLITICO: The Trump Administration launched a new global partnership to lay the groundwork for the deployment of 6G wireless networks across 24 countries in the next decade. The partnership is explicitly designed to counter China’s growing influence in telecommunications and will be spearheaded in the U.S. by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Article Summary
- GovTech: Oklahoma released a state-level enterprise artificial intelligence platform, BEACON. The platform will provide a shared system for state agencies to develop and deploy AI tools to address government challenges and improve customer service and efficiency. Two tools are already in beta testing in the new platform.
- TechCrunch: Microsoft launched a new AI model and platform specifically designed for cybersecurity. The platform, called Perception, uses agentic red, blue, and green teams for a fully automated cyberattack simulation and defense system.
- StateScoop: California’s Chief Information Security Officer announced he is stepping down. Vitaliy Panych, the top cybersecurity official in the state, was appointed in 2021 and has won multiple national awards for his work in preventing cyberattacks and navigating the evolution of cybersecurity in the age of AI.
Featured Highlight
- AI and the Future of Work
The AI era has introduced a new dynamic into American workplaces. On the one hand, innovative companies and employees are using the revolutionary technology to expand their judgment and capabilities, while on the other, some professionals are handing their judgment entirely over to AI. NYU professor Vasant Dhar dives into where he sees this dynamic emerging and what it means for the future of work. (The New Divide: Superhuman with AI or Dependent on It? – July 27, 2026 – 45 minute listen)
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.