National Defense

Ex-Army Boss Who Put ChatGPT Execs In Uniform Lands At OpenAI

US Army Photo, Photo not from story

OpenAI’s latest hire once ran the U.S. military branch that brought artificial intelligence leaders into its ranks.

Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll joined the frontier artificial intelligence company — known for its chatbot ChatGPT — in a newly created role, senior counselor for national security modernization, the company announced Monday. In June 2025 — while Driscoll led the Army — the service swore in OpenAI employees and other big tech executives as reserve officers.

“AI should give people more power over their lives and people should have a say in how it’s developed,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a statement, according to the company’s press release. “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.”

Driscoll will act as an advisor for the companies public and private partners across governments, academia and other institutions on initiatives to develop modernization strategies for “democratic AI” use in national security, the press release states.

“National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past fifty years,” Driscoll said in a statement, according to the company’s Monday announcement. “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.”

OpenAI referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the company’s press release when asked for comment.

In his role as Army secretary, Driscoll oversaw the June 2025 launch of the service’s “Executive Innovation Corps,” or Detachment 201, which gave tech executives from OpenAI, Meta and Palantir lieutenant colonel ranks in the corps, according to the service’s press release. Among them was Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s then-chief product officer, and Bob McGrew, OpenAI’s former Chief Research Officer.

Detachment 201 was an effort by the Army to bring on these executives to advise the service on “targeted projects to help guide rapid and scalable tech solutions to complex problems,” according to the service’s announcement.

The Army and the Department of War did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, Driscoll became acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in April 2025 while serving his role as Army secretary, replacing FBI Director Kash Patel. Driscoll took the job without any background in civilian policing or firearms policy.

Driscoll resigned from the Army on Aug. 31, following reported conflict with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over drone warfare and the purging of officers, among other issues. However, the White House described Driscoll as “highly effective.”