Exclusive: CISA names first-ever chief AI officer
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Lisa Einstein at the Homeland Security and Defense Forum in Washington in July. Photo courtesy of CISA.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has named Lisa Einstein as its first-ever chief artificial intelligence officer, the agency exclusively shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Creating this new senior-level position underscores just how seriously the country's top cybersecurity officials view both artificial intelligence tools' opportunities and threats.
Zoom in: Lisa Einstein started this week as the first chief AI officer at CISA within the Department of Homeland Security.
- She had been a senior adviser at the agency since last year, focused on AI issues — she helped craft CISA's AI roadmap and facilitated the first-ever AI tabletop exercise between the government and the private sector.
- Einstein also led a pilot program at the agency, required as part of President Biden's AI executive order, that tested AI cybersecurity tools to see how good they were at finding software vulnerabilities. The results were delivered to the White House earlier this week.
- Her new position will let her stand up an office within CISA solely dedicated to determining the best ways that both CISA and critical infrastructure organizations can use AI software.
Catch up quick: CISA has been using AI for years to automatically analyze threat intelligence data, process reports about security flaws and reverse-engineer malware.
The big picture: Several federal agencies have been appointing new chief AI officers as a requirement under Biden's AI executive order. However, CISA is one of the few agencies that didn't face that requirement.
- "AI is important enough for CISA's mission that we are creating a senior leadership position to institutionalize our work," Einstein said.
Between the lines: More critical infrastructure sectors — such as banks, water systems and electric power operators — have been coming to CISA for advice on how they can safely integrate AI into their systems.
- Experts have said that the newest wave of AI tools could help understaffed security teams more quickly analyze threat data or detect malicious activity on their networks.
The bottom line: "If I'm successful, I will empower every single person within CISA to understand their role within AI security," Einstein said.
- "We all have a role to play here, and it's such an interesting and exciting mission for me to think about how I can help everyone play their role and come together around a streamlined mission."
