Former head of NSA joins OpenAI board

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses OpenAI's appointment of Paul M. Nakasone, a retired US Army general and former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), to its board of directors. It also mentions recent departures tied to safety at OpenAI and the company's efforts to ensure that artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.

🙋 Q&A

[01] OpenAI's Appointment of Paul M. Nakasone

1. What is Paul M. Nakasone's background?

• Paul M. Nakasone is a retired general of the US Army and a former head of the National Security Agency (NSA).
• He was nominated to lead the NSA by former President Donald Trump and directed the agency from 2018 until February of this year.

2. What is Nakasone's role at OpenAI?

• Nakasone will join OpenAI's Safety and Security Committee, which is led by CEO Sam Altman, as a first priority.
• He will also contribute to OpenAI's efforts to understand how AI can be used to strengthen cybersecurity by quickly detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats.

3. What is the purpose of Nakasone's appointment?

• OpenAI's board chair Bret Taylor stated that Nakasone's "unparalleled experience in areas like cybersecurity will help guide OpenAI in achieving its mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."

[02] Recent Departures at OpenAI

1. What recent departures have occurred at OpenAI related to safety?

• Co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who played a key role in Sam Altman's November firing and eventual un-firing, has departed.
• Jan Leike, who said on X that "safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products," has also departed.

2. What do these departures suggest about OpenAI's focus on safety?

• The departures suggest that safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to other priorities at OpenAI, according to Jan Leike's statement.

[03] OpenAI's Board of Directors

1. Who are the members of OpenAI's board of directors?

• OpenAI's board of directors now includes Nakasone, Altman, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor, Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Nicole Seligman, and Fidji Simo.
• Microsoft's Dee Templeton also has a non-voting observer seat.