The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has announced Lisa Einstein as its first-ever Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. The announcement, made in a press release yesterday, marks a significant step in CISA’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster its cyber defense mission and support critical infrastructure across the United States.
Einstein has been leading CISA’s AI initiatives since 2023 as the Senior Advisor for AI and has served as the Executive Director of the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee since 2022. Her appointment underscores CISA’s dedication to responsibly integrating AI into its operations and ensuring that critical infrastructure partners can safely adopt and develop AI technologies.
CISA Director Jen Easterly expressed her enthusiasm for Einstein’s new role, stating, “I am proud of how our team at CISA has come together in the last two years to understand and respond to rapid advancements in AI—many of which have significant implications for our core missions of cyber defense and critical infrastructure security. Lisa Einstein has been central to that effort. Beyond her technical expertise, she’s an inspirational leader who has brought together colleagues across the agency around a clear and impactful vision. I could not be more thrilled to have her take on this important new role, which will help us continue to build AI expertise into the fabric of our agency and ensure we are equipped to effectively leverage the power of AI well into the future.”
Einstein’s appointment is particularly timely as strong cybersecurity is essential for trustworthy AI, and the safe use of AI is increasingly crucial for the security of critical infrastructure. This new position aims to institutionalize CISA’s ongoing efforts to responsibly manage its use of AI and ensure that critical infrastructure partners develop and implement AI securely.
Expressing her commitment, Einstein said, “I care deeply about CISA’s mission – if we succeed, the critical systems that Americans rely on every day will become safer, more reliable, and more capable. AI tools could accelerate our progress. But we will only reap their benefits and avoid harms from their misapplication or abuse if we all work together to prioritize safety, security, and trustworthiness in the development and deployment of AI tools. It has been a privilege to work with the dedicated and talented CISA team and with our partners across the United States and around the world over the last two years. I am honored to serve in this new role to help CISA tackle this important challenge.”
Einstein’s contributions to CISA have been substantial. She played a pivotal role in developing CISA’s AI roadmap and facilitated the first-ever AI tabletop exercise between the government and the private sector. Additionally, she spearheaded a pilot program mandated by President Biden’s AI executive order, which tested AI cybersecurity tools to assess their effectiveness in identifying software vulnerabilities. The findings from this program were recently delivered to the White House.