SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI has appointed a former top U.S. cyberwarrior and intelligence official to its board of directors, stating that he will assist in safeguarding the ChatGPT creator from “increasingly sophisticated bad actors.”
Retired Army Gen. Paul Nakasone previously served as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency before his recent departure.
He joins the OpenAI board of directors, which is still in the process of adding new members following the restructuring of leadership at the San Francisco artificial intelligence company last year. The previous board had abruptly dismissed CEO Sam Altman, only to have him reinstated to his CEO role shortly thereafter.
In March, OpenAI welcomed Altman back to its board of directors and expressed “full confidence” in his leadership following an external investigation into the company’s issues. OpenAI’s board functions as a nonprofit entity but also governs its rapidly expanding business.
Nakasone has also been appointed to OpenAI’s new safety and security committee, which is responsible for advising the full board on “critical safety and security decisions” regarding its projects and operations. This safety group replaced a previous team that was disbanded after key members resigned.
Nakasone was already leading the Army branch of U.S. Cyber Command when then-President Donald Trump selected him to serve as the director of the NSA in 2018, one of the nation’s top intelligence positions, and head of U.S. Cyber Command. He continued in these dual roles during President Joe Biden’s administration until his retirement in February 2021.
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