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TechCrunchJun 29
OpenAI Appoints Former NSA Chief to Board
Above: JANUARY 31: Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command Army Gen. Paul Nakasone testifies before House committee on China Image copyright: Kevin Dietsch/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI has appointed retired US Army general and former director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), Gen. Paul Nakasone, to its board of directors.
OpenAI said Nakasone, former head of the US Army Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), will also join the board's new Safety and Security Committee, which will make recommendations for "all OpenAI projects and operations."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
As the longest-serving leader of USCYBERCOM, Nakasone will use his national security expertise to help safeguard American AI so developers can safely distribute it to consumers. AI has the potential to benefit the world, but only if it's free from the prying eyes of bad actors.
Establishment-critical narrative
Paul Nakasone should not be praised in any way. He's the one who oversaw the NSA's illegal mass surveillance of millions of Americans, including by outsourcing its spy tactics to UK intelligence agencies to circumvent US law. No one should trust OpenAI after this decision.