On Thursday, OpenAI announced the appointment of retired General Paul M. Nakasone, who previously served as the head of the U.S. National Security Agency, to its board of directors.
Nakasone, who led the NSA since 2018, will join the board’s Safety and Security Committee, which OpenAI established in late May to enhance its policies on model testing and misuse prevention.
According to The Washington Post, OpenAI aims to address criticisms of its security practices by bringing Nakasone on board, including accusations from some current and former employees that the maker of ChatGPT prioritizes profits over the safety of its products.
The company is under increasing scrutiny following the departure of several key employees and public calls for comprehensive changes to its practices.
OpenAI stated that it is working on hiring more security engineers and increasing transparency regarding its approach to securing the systems that support its research.
Last week, Leopold Ashenbrunner, a former employee, mentioned in a podcast that he wrote a memo to OpenAI’s board last year, expressing concerns that the company's security was “grossly inadequate” to prevent foreign governments from hacking into its technology.
Security researchers have also pointed out that chatbots are vulnerable to “prompt injection” attacks, where hackers can infiltrate a company’s computer systems through a chatbot connected to its internal databases.
Some companies have even banned their employees from using ChatGPT out of fear that OpenAI might not adequately protect the sensitive information entered into its chatbot.
Strengthening Cybersecurity
Nakasone joins OpenAI’s board following significant changes to the board's composition. As the regulatory environment becomes stricter and efforts to digitize government and military services intensify, tech companies are increasingly turning to board members with military backgrounds.
In a statement, Nakasone said, "OpenAI holds a unique position in facing cyber threats while leading transformative technology that could revolutionize how institutions address these challenges. I look forward to supporting the company in protecting its innovations while harnessing them for the benefit of society as a whole."
Until January, OpenAI had imposed a ban on using its products for “military and warfare” purposes. The company explained that it lifted this ban to allow for military uses aligned with its values, such as disaster relief and supporting veterans.
Nakasone brings deep experience in Washington to the board as the company seeks to develop a more sophisticated government relations strategy and convey to policymakers that American AI companies serve as a bulwark against China.
When asked about AI during a recent interview with Post Live, Nakasone remarked, “We want to ensure that American companies... lead in the innovation of this technology, which I believe is the revolutionary technology of this century.”