OpenAI announced on Monday that former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will be joining the company as senior counselor for national security modernization, a move that comes over two months after the service leader left the Pentagon.
The ChatGPT-maker said Driscoll’s role is a new addition and will focus on how artificial intelligence can be used to enhance national and cyber security measures, as well as working with U.S. allies to advance the “responsible use” of AI.
“AI should give people more power over their lives and people should have a say in how it’s developed,” CEO Sam Altman said. “The US 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.”
As senior counsel for national security modernization, Driscoll will examine where AI can improve operational needs, drive institutional change, and improve output. The former secretary said he is looking forward to providing service members with the most advanced technology available in his new role.
“The people who serve deserve the very best tools we can put in their hands,” he said. “National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past fifty years. This technology will help them keep pace by cutting through paperwork, making sense of more information, and getting the right answer to the right person faster. I’m joining OpenAI to help the United States and our allies put this technology to work responsibly, for the people who keep us safe.”
His role at OpenAI reflects the work done by Driscoll leading the Army as he leaned into modernizing the service and quickly garnered the nickname as President Donald Trump’s “drone guy.” The company already has a contract with the War Department to integrate its ChatGPT into the department’s enterprise AI platform, GenAI.mil, allowing access to millions of personnel for operational planning, mission readiness, and administrative tasks.
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Driscoll resigned from his post Aug. 31, with heavy speculation that he divided with War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s vision for the department. Trump nominated Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle to serve as acting Army secretary following Driscoll’s resignation.
Driscoll’s move to OpenAI marks a return to the private sector. After his five-year tenure in the Army, the former officer held several positions at venture capital and consulting firms, according to his LinkedIn.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
