Podcasts · AI Security, AI Cloud Ops & Infrastructure | ClearTech Loop

Your AI Agents Are Already Running. Can You See Them? | Alvaro Gonzalez

18 Aug 2026 · 17 min · S3 E8

AI agents can hold credentials, access sensitive data, make decisions and even create other identities. But many organizations still cannot answer a basic question: what is actually running in the environment?

In this episode of ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson sits down with Alvaro Gonzalez, SVP of Product and Go-to-Market at Assured Data Protection, to talk about what AI governance looks like when identity and access are changing at machine speed.

Alvaro explains why organizations should start with three things: inventory, observability and remediation. They also discuss whether AI governance committees are actually governing or merely documenting, why CISOs should inventory agents before building more policy, and how Alvaro’s idea of “controlled aggression” can help enterprises experiment with AI without losing the ability to recover when something goes wrong.

You cannot govern what you cannot see.

Listen to Learn

• Why AI agent governance should start with inventory • What least privilege looks like when identities can create other identities • Why observability matters alongside access control • Why remediation belongs in the AI identity conversation • Whether AI governance committees are really changing behavior • What Alvaro means by “librarians and warriors” • How “controlled aggression” can help organizations move faster without losing control

Featured Soundbite

“You cannot govern what you cannot see.”

— Alvaro Gonzalez

Featured Guest

Alvaro Gonzalez SVP of Product and Go-to-Market Assured Data Protection

Alvaro leads product, alliance, marketing and go-to-market functions at Assured Data Protection, with a focus on data protection, cyber resilience and the systems that support field and channel execution.

Host

Jo Peterson CIO, Clarify360 Chief Analyst, ClearTech Research

Episode Links

Full episode webpage: https://cleartechresearch.com/ai-agent-governance-alvaro-gonzalez/

Subscribe to ClearTech Loop: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClearTechResearch

Additional Resources

Assured Data Protection: 5 Ways You Can Improve Your Cyber Recovery Plan https://assured-dp.com/guides/5-ways-you-can-improve-your-cyber-recovery-plan-with-assured-data-protection/

NIST AI Risk Management Framework https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework

Model Context Protocol — Security Best Practices https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/draft/basic/security_best_practices

Previous ClearTech Loop: AI Agents Shouldn’t Be Trusted by Default with Elliott Mattice https://cleartechresearch.com/ai-governance-trust-elliott-mattice/

🎧 Listen: In Buzzsprout Player ▶ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClearTechResearch/videos 📰 Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/

Links in the notes 8

• https://cleartechresearch.com/ai-agent-governance-alvaro-gonzalez/
• https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7346174860760416256/
• https://www.youtube.com/@ClearTechResearch
• https://assured-dp.com/guides/5-ways-you-can-improve-your-cyber-recovery-plan-with-assured-data-protection/
• https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
• https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/draft/basic/security_best_practices
• https://cleartechresearch.com/ai-governance-trust-elliott-mattice/
• https://www.youtube.com/@ClearTechResearch/videos