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 maker from “increasingly sophisticated bad actors.”
SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI has appointed a former top U.S. cyberwarrior and intelligence official to its board of directors, saying he will help protect the ChatGPT maker from “increasingly sophisticated bad actors.”
Retired Army Gen. Paul Nakasone was the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency before stepping down earlier this year.
He joins an OpenAI board of directors that is still adding new members following changes at the San Francisco artificial intelligence company that led to a restructuring of the board’s leadership last year. The prior board had fired CEO Sam Altman abruptly and was then replaced when he returned to his CEO position shortly afterward.
OpenAI reintegrated Altman into its board of directors in March, expressing “full confidence” in his leadership post an external investigation into the company’s upheaval. Although technically a nonprofit, OpenAI’s board also oversees its swiftly expanding business.
Nakasone is also becoming part of OpenAI’s new safety and security committee, which is meant to advise the full board on crucial safety and security decisions for its projects and operations. This safety committee succeeded an earlier safety team that disbanded after numerous leaders resigned.
Nakasone had already been leading the Army division of U.S. Cyber Command when then-President Donald Trump chose him to serve as director of the NSA in 2018, a significant intelligence position in the nation, and head of U.S. Cyber Command. He retained both roles when President Joe Biden assumed office in 2021. He retired in February.
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