In this interview from Appian World 2026, Joe Vidulich, head of government relations at Appian, joins theCUBE's Dave Vellante and co-host Alison Kosik to discuss the fragmented AI regulatory landscape and Appian's role as a credible voice for responsible AI governance. Vidulich, just 45 days into his new role, brings more than 15 years of bipartisan policy experience — including a decade at Capital One — to Appian's expanding policy agenda. He explains how the absence of a federal AI standard has left 50 states drafting their own rules, creating a patchwork that risks stalling American competitiveness. Drawing on Appian's "Serious AI" philosophy, he argues that effective governance requires guardrails, human oversight and policies built around desired outcomes rather than the technology of the day.
The conversation also explores how Vidulich navigates Capitol Hill daily, helping lawmakers who often struggle to grasp the basics of agentic AI think through what automation, process and platform can actually deliver for their constituents. He details the National Defense Authorization Act as a near-term vehicle for modernizing the thousands of legacy computing systems — some still running on COBOL — that government agencies depend on. Vidulich also addresses data sovereignty concerns, noting that Appian's ability to sit on top of existing legacy infrastructure without requiring data migration is a key reason intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense trust the American tech stack. From bridging the bipartisan knowledge gap on AI to ensuring the US leads rather than cedes ground to foreign adversaries, Vidulich outlines why Appian is stepping up as a serious participant in shaping the next era of AI policy.
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Joe Vidulich, Appian
Dave Vellante and Alison Kosik sit down with Joe Vidulich, Head of Government Relations, Appian, at Appian World 2026 at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL.
In this interview from Appian World 2026, Joe Vidulich, head of government relations at Appian, joins theCUBE's Dave Vellante and co-host Alison Kosik to discuss the fragmented AI regulatory landscape and Appian's role as a credible voice for responsible AI governance. Vidulich, just 45 days into his new role, brings more than 15 years of bipartisan policy experience — including a decade at Capital One — to Appian's expanding policy agenda. He explains how the absence of a federal AI standard has left 50 states drafting their own rules, creating a patchwork t...Read more
>> Welcome back to Appian '26. We're streaming live here in Orlando. I'm Alison Kosik, alongside Dave Vellante, and we just left the keynote, which really was eye-opening, wasn't it?
Dave Vellante
>> Yeah, it was interesting. I mean, Matt, very understated CEO for tech conferences, usually all hype and the like, but I think what Appian is doing is actually quite advanced. I mean, they're building really world-class technologies to bring what we now know as these common words, probabilistic and deterministic together. Very sophisticated. And the audience was good. It was like 1,500, and the whole theme was around Serious AI. So excellent.
Alison Kosik
>> Yeah. With its technology, I'm seeing how Appian is really tapping into the concerns about the users of AI and how to work around that and make it more effective.
Dave Vellante
>> Yeah. We as consumers, it's no big deal if it hallucinates, but if you're processing loans or moving money, that's a big deal.
Alison Kosik
>> That could be a big issue. Yeah. And government relations, right? So let's bring in our guest on that very topic, with Joe Vidulich. He is the head of government relations with Appian. Welcome to theCUBE.
Joe Vidulich
>> Good morning.
Alison Kosik
>> Good morning. So I understand you're kind of new to this position. The position is relatively new as well. Talk me through your background and why you're focused on this, and why it's so important for Appian.
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah. Thanks for having me today. So yeah, I'm on day like 45, so they showed me where the bathrooms are and where I got to park my car. But I come from bipartisan kind of advocacy. I worked over a decade at Capital One, which is also a founder-led company, underspoken CEO, but really transformative work. I've worked at the federal, state, and local level working with Republicans and Democrats. And the time is now for Appian. I mean, Appian is 25 years old. And like you were talking about earlier, this is about a serious time in the involvement in policy. It doesn't matter if it's happening in Brussels, Washington DC, doesn't matter which side of Pennsylvania Avenue, or in state capitals like Sacramento, Austin, or even Albany. And so we need to get serious, just like our product, Serious AI, about how we talk about the dialogue of government. Because government is utilizing AI in a way that's transforming. And that's what Appian has been doing. I mean, for now, for every government agency, no matter if you're in Sacramento or in Washington, uses Appian products. So this is about bringing us to the table, making sure that we have a serious conversation about AI implementation, AI utilization, and how it's affecting procurement.
Dave Vellante
>> Joe, as everyday citizens, you watch the news, and we all know what a Venn diagram is. The Venn between Republicans and Democrats from where we sit looks like this. But the reality is not the case. There are people doing good work in government trying to find that common ground. And so I wonder if you could just sort of describe that. Where is that Venn today? What are some of the important things that are bipartisan that you guys are sort of focused on?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah, it's a really great question. So I think when it comes to AI policy, there's this underspoken thing going on in the room. They really don't know a lot about how to implement it. And that's common across Republicans or Democrats or independents, no matter what it is. And so they're like, they talk to their young staffers. What does AI mean? What does agentic AI mean? How do you pronounce agentic? And so there's this common level of misunderstanding.
Dave Vellante
>> Agentic.
Alison Kosik
>> And the challenge is just they're legislating, they're making policy, but if they don't understand it, what does that mean for tech companies?
Joe Vidulich
>> It means a huge amount of things. First of all, with what we're seeing coming out of Brussels right now with the EU AI Act, what's happening in Sacramento and in Austin, we basically have 50 cooks and no recipe. We have 50 musicians waiting at the bow of the stage ready to perform, but no conductor. And so there are no rules to the road here. And so what we risk as a technology company, frankly, as civilization, is that we're going to have so many rules out there and they're not going to be talking to one another. So if we don't have a stop light in the community, people are going to go blasting through. I'm from New York. I don't like stop lights, but if I don't know that I need to stop when I come to something, we need to make sure that everyone is following by the same rules. And so what we're seeing out of policymakers in Washington, one is a learning exhibition. And so that's where Appian fits in. That's where I am. I look at myself as an honest broker. I'm supposed to tell folks how this technology can be transformative. And it will be transformative, but they need to set up guardrails to make sure that it works properly.
Dave Vellante
>> Well, but I mean, David Sacks, obviously savvy tech individual, but it seems like the current administration's agenda is to help United States lead in AI. Your point about state regulations, I mean, that's a disaster. That's just a blocker that is not going to effectuate that vision. It's also interesting, and I wonder if you have opinion on this, is it's like the US, they say AI has a lower rating than Congress, a lower rating than I... I mean, it's like very negative. Whereas you juxtapose that to other parts of the world, particularly in Asia Pacific, they're very sanguine about AI. Do you see that as a problem? Why do you think that is? And how can we maybe change the perception?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah, I think that there's a learning opportunity for John Q. Civilian. I mean, change is hard no matter where it comes from. When the first car was being built by Henry Ford, it was like, "Whoa, what is that? What is that going to do to my horse and buggy?" The first light bulb that came into existence, what is going to happen here? Change is hard and change takes time. So I understand the concern that communities have, particularly around data centers and what that could be doing. But we need to be innovative here. If we're not, we're going to get our lunch eaten to us by folks out in Europe and in the Asia Pacific area. So number one, we have to educate community. There's also attrition. Let's be honest, with any major technological revolution in human history comes change. And so we're going to see attrition on jobs and a different focus. And so we owe it to our communities to make sure that they're utilizing AI so that they can be transformative in their own stuff. So it doesn't matter if you're wanting to put together a menu. I use AI to, I'm an Italian, so I like to cook, I say, "This is what I have in my fridge. AI make me a meal." Still not good as mom's, but still there. But I use AI at work to help me with my deck presentations. AI is not going to be just a chatbot agent. It's going to be intricately involved in mission critical work, and that's what I'm so proud about being here in Appian and really trying to bring.
Alison Kosik
>> So back to the government regulations part. It's important to note that having a patchwork of regulations, it's very difficult to navigate for any company. And I guess whoever has the ear of that congressman that makes the rules or that senator wins. I mean, you're still trying to do business with AI as it's transforming. So how do you navigate the patchwork of regulations where people making them don't even know what they're talking about half the time?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah. Well, so on the state level, I think what we've seen action out of the White House and Congress was like we need to slow everyone's roll down a little bit. Now we have a federal system of government, which means that states can do their own thing absent federal law to the contrary. Like you said earlier, federal law in any space right now is few and far between, but we need to navigate it. I think what we need to see is agencies, CIOs, CTOs, they're moving at light speed. And if you're falling behind in this race, you're really at your own peril. And so what we need to do is look at what the landscape is and what should be the guardrails. Because if we do not have a regulatory system in place, you're absolutely right. People are going to take advantage of it and folks are going to be left at the wayside. And so we need something that is comprehensive, that puts America first, as well as advances where we need to be as a society, as a technology.
Alison Kosik
>> So how do we get there then?
Joe Vidulich
>> Time and education. I've been in the policy game for over 15 years now, and what you need to do is be a credible broker here. It's not necessarily what's in the best interest of Appian, but it's what's in the best interest of society. And that's where Appian does come into play. We believe that Serious AI needs guardrails. There needs to be a human that checks it, who works on it. To think that the whole world will be replaced with robots and AI, it makes it sounds like AI is a panacea. It's not. It is genuinely generational transformation of technology. But just like there was the fax machine, the cell phone, the computer, the cloud, there'll be another technology that comes around. And what we tell to our friends in government is we need to learn from past mistakes and we need to set up these guardrails now so we can execute effectively and put America on a forward path.
Dave Vellante
>> I'm actually surprised and impressed that we're interviewing on theCUBE somebody in your role at Appian. I mean, sizable company, but a relatively small company. It's not a hyperscaler. And I think what you're doing, and something you just said is you're not out there saying, "Oh, this is good for Appian." It's like, "Okay, what's good for society?" Because what's good for Appian will follow. That's I think the right way to think about it. It seems to me that we just need a better narrative. And I think what we heard from Matt about Serious AI, what he called East Coast AI, I think is along the right tracks. I think Jensen is a fabulous spokesperson. He says things like, "AI's not going to replace your job. Somebody who's using AI is going to replace your job." Erik Brynjolfsson and Andy McAfee wrote a book years ago, The Second Machine Age, and they pointed out that machines have always replaced humans. This is the first time it's cognitive, and that's a little scary. I think two of the most prominent AI leaders, Dario Amodei and Sam Altman, have the wrong narrative. I mean, they're just not dynamic individuals. They talk about AI eating jobs. Sam's staring at his shoes. So I think what you're doing, he comes across as this geek, like, wow, he's going to take over the world, and is evil AI and they're trying to do AGI. It's really the wrong messaging. And I think your messaging, obviously Jensen's and what we heard last week, I think at Google Next, very sort of a positive, not Pollyannish, but actually practical. So I would commend you on that. I think it's a really difficult task you have ahead of you, but I feel as though that's the narrative that we have to start to effectuate.
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah, it absolutely is. We need to realize that this is a transformative tool that will be utilized by everyone for everything. And it doesn't matter if you're a single father, if you're a corporate executive, you're a CIO, or you're someone on the assembly line in Detroit. You're going to be utilizing this technology to, one, make you safer at your job. AI could be utilized to save folks' lives. I mean, Matt hit on it earlier today. I'm so interested to hear what's going to happen with NASA, what we've done with NASA. But it is also going to be about making you more efficient and better at your job. We all want to be removed from the burdensome menial tasks of life and work. This allows us to do that. And that's where this becomes transformative. And that's why so many folks trust Appian. They rely on us, and that's why we need to be the grownups in the room for this conversation.
Alison Kosik
>> And Appian has a seat at the policy table.
Joe Vidulich
>> We do.
Alison Kosik
>> Walk me through a day in the life of you. I don't know if it's, is it on Capitol Hill that you go?
Joe Vidulich
>> It is.
Alison Kosik
>> As much as you can talk about, I'd be curious to hear a day in the life. How do those discussions go? What are they like?
Joe Vidulich
>> So in Washington, it all starts with a large cup of coffee. Dunkin' is my brand of choice. And going through the myriad of correspondence that are happening across the world. Because this is happening, and to your earlier point, in Beijing, in Tokyo, in Brussels, in London, in Melbourne. We need to understand that this is a very small world that we live in, and the policies that are being shaped around us are there. But then when I get up to Capitol Hill, when I get up to the Cannon House Office building or to Rayburn, folks are telling me, "Joe, how can I utilize AI to make my job better? How can I serve my constituents better?" And I tell them, "Think about what you want to do. Think about the outcomes you want to achieve. It can be done with automation, process, and platform." And so number one, it's understanding what is the societal benefit here. Number two, what is the societal cost? AI is a transformative tool that uses a lot of energy and a lot of power. We need to understand its purpose, its limitation, and the guardrails around it. And to our earlier point in the conversation, there are a lot of folks in government, well-intended, that really just don't understand the technology. So it's explaining what it means. We should develop policies, regulations, and laws based on what is the outcomes we want to achieve, not on the tech of the day.
Alison Kosik
>> What are you working on now, let's say in the short term, when it comes to your job?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah. So number one, the National Defense Authorization Act is coming up, and that talks a lot about how government procures technology and utilizes technology. Government right now has thousands of legacy computing programs. Some are run on COBOL, some on a terminal somewhere else. Sometimes it's Jenny in accounting with a spreadsheet, and God forbid what happens to her if she wins the lottery. We don't know what's going to happen. So we need to focus on modernizing technology so that government can act more efficient. Number two, I spent a lot of time after the recent attrition and cuts in the federal workforce. Government still has to deliver for their constituents, for their consumers. And that's where Appian, our technology, AI can play a really great role in still delivering for the results. So I spent a lot of time talking to folks about what can happen in the NDAA that could actually mean meaningful change. Because in this Congress, in this Washington, very few pieces of legislation move outside of must pass legislation.
Dave Vellante
>> So it sounds like the path of education is to help policymakers just understand how AI can help them. And if they can raise more money or do it more efficiently, it's going to get their attention. And then that maybe sequences into bipartisan legislation and policy that is positive for the country and for progress. Because obviously we're navigating change all the time. The midterms are coming up. There's obviously new presidential cycles and different agendas. Where do you see the best opportunities for bipartisan policy?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah. Well, first of all, they should be watching you all and actually learning from the experts, the tacticians, and the folks that live and breathe technology, technology policy, and the practical users thereof. But number two, I think where there is momentum is we need a federal standard. So last year, there was an attempt to put a moratorium on states being the sandboxes of democracy, as de Tocqueville called it. That's good, but it passed 99 to one to say, no, no, no, no, no. We're not going to preempt states. 99 to one in the US Senate. So I think we need to be clear about the rules of the road. We've seen this very similarly in the adoption of stablecoins and crypto, where it has taken a while for folks to get there, but they get there. And so good thing about America is the next generation of researchers, scientists, they're working with Congress right now to educate them, but I think we're going to get to a standard where America is leading from the front and not from behind.
Dave Vellante
>> What do you make of, this is somewhat controversial, depending on which side of the aisle you talk to, but I come back to Jensen because I think he's such an outstanding spokesperson. His, and it's correct to say that it's self-serving, but he doesn't present it as self-serving, but his philosophy is, look, we want the world to be on a US tech stack. We have the best technology. It's no problem if we hold back the very best technology, but we shouldn't hold back all the technology because that's just an incentive for China specifically to build their own tech stack. What do you think about that logic? Have we already sort of screwed the pooch, if you will, by maybe over regulating diffusion of technology? Any thoughts on that?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah. I don't think we're past our prime, but the window of change is rapidly approaching. And so we need to take advantage of the ability to be America at the forefront of innovation. That's how this country, we're celebrating 250 years as a nation this year, this is how we adapt for the next American century by being that leader in tech. That is tech and AI, that's tech and automation, that's tech and platform. And if we somehow cede that ground to others, potentially our foreign enemies or our foreign adversaries, that puts America behind, and that makes us particularly very vulnerable. And so we need to keep that in mind from a national security layer. I think that's why the folks in the intelligence industry, at DOD, at the Army, they utilize Appian because they trust the American tech stack.
Dave Vellante
>> Yeah. I mean, the stat, it's become an accepted stat, I honestly don't know if it's true, but it kind of make sense, is that half the world's AI researchers are Chinese nationals. They're very prominent inside the AI labs in the United States. And you look at the CEOs of tech companies, a huge percentage of them went to the Indian Institute of Technology. So there's a lot of talent out there that we want to be able to tap. And again, depending on which side of the aisle, you get different sort of opinions on how open we should be to inviting people in and keeping them here and the H-B1 visas, et cetera.
Joe Vidulich
>> You bring up a great point. I actually had a conversation recently with a senior senator on the intelligence committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee. And this is what we were talking about was like, government has a mandate to modernize, but they don't necessarily want to move their data out of their legacy systems for the reasons you talked about, for the vulnerabilities. And there are concerns with some foreign nationals being at some of these large technology companies where by moving that data, you're making it more vulnerable. And that's where we come into play, where you can fit on top of existing legacy systems and you can make your data actionable. And so the security risk is real. We know our adversaries are out there. We know that they're watching. We know that they have been found out. And so we need to make sure that we are doing all we can to protect our data and protect our tech.
Dave Vellante
>> It's interesting. Perhaps an unintended consequence of the somewhat negative rhetoric toward various countries has created, and I think it's related, I don't know if you agree or disagree, has created this notion of sovereign AI, and have more control. Which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. I think that's good for countries and regions, et cetera. And that's good for technology diffusion. So that's why I actually think Jensen's philosophy is the right one. But do you have any thoughts on sovereign AI? I mean, it's not directly in your agenda, but you've seen a lot more interest in that.
Joe Vidulich
>> It comes up all the time. Because I think there is conversations whether or not, at any given point in time, whether or not America will want to assert sovereign control, either the Defense Production Act or other nationals. And I think if you're a company or if you're a government agency operating internationally, of course you need to make sure you're protecting your own first. And so it comes up in conversations all across the globe.
Alison Kosik
>> Quickly work in, you're new to this, but where can people follow your work and stay connected to Appian's policy thinking?
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah, it's a great question. So I would continue to stay focused on Appian and our website. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Joe Vidulich. But we're going to be getting out there more. We're going to be working in the halls of Congress. We're going to be talking to state leaders, governors, internationally, so that we make sure that we are advancing the mission of getting stuff done and having outcomes for our customers and government agencies across the world.
Alison Kosik
>> All right. Enjoyed this. A fellow-
Dave Vellante
>> Thank you, Joe....
Alison Kosik
>> AU alum.
Joe Vidulich
>> Yeah.
Alison Kosik
>> Love it.
Joe Vidulich
>> Go Eagles.
Dave Vellante
>> And New Yorker.
Alison Kosik
>> Go Eagles.
Dave Vellante
>> And New Yorker.
Joe Vidulich
>> And a New Yorker.
Alison Kosik
>> Yes, there you go.
Joe Vidulich
>> Giants all the way.
Dave Vellante
>> Go American Eagles, not the Philadelphia Eagles.
Joe Vidulich
>> No, no. No Philly .
Alison Kosik
>> All right. You've been watching theCUBE, the leader in high tech enterprise analysis and live coverage. We'll be right back.
Alison Kosik
Dave Vellante