"I get it. I need to stop banging on the table. This will be fixed in future episodes. Sorry for the poor sound experience." - David

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Professional CISO Show, David Malicoat explores whether “Responsible AI” pledges from vendors are genuine safeguards or simply marketing buzz. Using Zscaler’s recent claims as a case study, David walks through vendor promises, compliance implications, audit gaps, and blind spots around explainability, bias, and portability.

The episode introduces a practical CISO Vendor AI Evaluation Sheet across six domains — data handling, AI governance, auditability, liability, transparency, and exit strategy — to help CISOs push beyond assurances and demand evidence.

Key Takeaways:

• Why “Responsible AI” is often indistinguishable from “Responsible Marketing”
• The compliance challenges with GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, SR 11-7, and the EU AI Act
• How metadata, audit evidence gaps, and third-party dependencies introduce hidden risk
• Why boards must be educated on AI risk vs. AI marketing hype
• Why CISOs must own the Responsible AI conversation before regulators step in

Notable Quotes:

• “Responsible AI should be more than a press release. It must be auditable, enforceable, and defensible in front of a regulator.”
• “When regulators knock, they won’t call the vendor first. They’ll call you.”
• “Don’t just take a vendor’s word for it — ask hard questions, demand evidence, and get it in writing.”

Listener Benefits:

By listening, you’ll gain a sharper lens for evaluating AI vendor claims, practical tools to strengthen your vendor management process, and strategies to get ahead of inevitable regulation.

Call to Action:

👉 Download the free CISO Vendor AI Evaluation Sheet from the show notes.

👉 Share this episode with your peers and comment your perspective on LinkedIn.

👉 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

🔖 Hashtags

#ResponsibleAI #CISO #CybersecurityLeadership #TheProfessionalCISO #AICompliance #VendorRisk #AIGovernance