OpenAI hired former Army secretary Dan Driscoll to lead its cybersecurity efforts. Driscoll will work with global allies to promote democratic AI systems. “National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past 50 years,” he said. He previously pushed for new technology while serving at the Pentagon.
“The U.S. has an extraordinary opportunity to work with other countries to spread the adoption of democratic AI and I’m excited to welcome Dan Driscoll to OpenAI to strengthen American leadership and help us do that,” OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said.
Driscoll is a former Army officer and law-school classmate of Vice President JD Vance. Serving as civilian leader of the Army for 18 months, he pushed soldiers to adopt new battlefield technology and spearheaded multibillion-dollar private-sector partnerships to modernize base infrastructure and domestic logistics.
He stepped down from the Pentagon in September following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the service and the ouster of numerous senior Army officers.
In his new role, Driscoll will collaborate with OpenAI leadership and outside stakeholders, working to encourage U.S. allies to embrace advanced AI systems, the company said.
Driscoll said the demands facing national-security organizations are evolving at an unprecedented pace. “National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past 50 years,” he said, adding that AI could ease administrative workloads, accelerate the analysis of information and help officials obtain critical answers faster.
A veteran of the Iraq War, Driscoll made military modernization a priority during his tenure, championing initiatives to broaden the availability of drone and counterdrone capabilities among U.S. allies, according to an earlier Army announcement.
Last year, he traveled to Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky concerning a Washington-backed proposal intended to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.