Case Study: Record the Data and Environment Decision
Explore the process of recording data categories and confirming authorized environments to ensure secure AI use within Department of Defense and federal workflows. Understand how to identify sensitive information, verify Controlled Unclassified Information, and create a reviewable decision record that guides safe AI pilot operations and risk management.
The Secure GenAI Decision Packet case is at the point where process meets pressure. The team has secure_genai_decision_packet/ai_use_intake_note.md with a preliminary CONDITIONAL GO stance for a limited pilot, and it carries a clear constraint that the pilot remains within the currently confirmed non-NSS scope unless the designated organizational authority determines that NSS considerations apply. That constraint was easy to agree with in the abstract, because it did not force anyone to name what would actually be pasted, uploaded, or connected.
The supervisor request forces that missing detail into the open. The ask is to use the AI assistant on real operational and cyber reporting, including summarization, triage, and briefing drafts. A sample incident ticket contains names, unit and system context, IP addresses and host identifiers, and contractor product details. The mistake that shows up here is treating the intake stance as permission to start, when it was only a commitment to check what data the workflow would transfer and whether the environment is authorized for it.
The sample ticket is also the first place the two gates can be applied. Gate 1 turns one ticket into several information categories, some of them sensitive by default. Gate 2 turns one AI assistant into an evidence question the team cannot currently answer. If those two checks stay implicit, the first real prompt becomes the ...