[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] "Most small towns in the United States are on the front line of a fight most people do not see."

Anne Neuberger (앤 뉴버거), a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) who served at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and later as deputy national security adviser at the White House for cyber and emerging technology, has repeatedly underscored security threats facing local small towns in a recent post shared on X (Twitter).

She also cited specific examples such as ransomware attacks that shut down a county's 911 call intake system and student records from a school district being offered for sale on the dark web.

Rural hospitals are paying ransoms of more than $100,000, even though they cannot afford it, Neuberger said. That is cheaper than being unable to treat patients for a week, she said. "This is not a hypothesis, but something that happens all the time across the United States," she said, adding that the affected institutions lack budgets, personnel and technical capabilities.

They are also being left out of the benefits of AI. Neuberger said that at well-resourced organizations, AI is boosting productivity, diagnostics and cyber defense, but these institutions are being bypassed. She said it is not because the technology does not fit, but because it is difficult to access and difficult to afford.

She presented the nonprofit SAIF (Securing America’s Infrastructure Foundation) as a solution.

According to her, the nonprofit SAIF was incubated by a16z and provides AI and security tools, training and cyber incident response for free to public institutions with limited budgets and staffing, such as small city and county governments, local education offices and rural hospitals.

a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz said there are communities across the United States where hospitals and local administrative services shoulder greater risks while lacking the resources and training to benefit from AI. The foundation's goal is to change that, he said.

Its operating model also stands out. Neuberger said it is not a traditional grant program. "It is not a model of writing a check and hoping it goes well," she said. "It is closer to forward-deployed engineering than charity. Experts go in person, build defensive systems, and stay until capabilities take root," she said.

The foundation will start with pilot projects in 2 small towns in different regions. It will prioritize essential services that have no substitutes in those areas. Rural hospitals, of which there are 1,800 in the United States, are a representative example. In places with only 1 hospital in town, residents have nowhere to go if an attack shuts it down.

In the first year, it will focus on AI-based security. Examples include using AI to find and fix vulnerabilities in code for MRI equipment or hospital monitors. The foundation aims to expand support over 5 years to 5 to 10 anchor cities, based on $25 million pledged by a16z founding partners.

Neuberger said she would approach the issue with sincerity and humility because it is a difficult problem. "We are deliberately starting small with 2 cities, 1 field, and 1 clear mission," she said.