NASA Appoints David Salvagnini as Agency’s First Chief AI Officer

Insider Brief:

• NASA has appointed David Salvagnini as its first chief AI officer, expanding his role as chief data officer.
• In this position, Salvagnini will help shape NASA’s responsible AI efforts, develop risk management tools, and provide related training.
• This appointment follows President Biden’s AI Executive Order, which requires government agencies to have an official overseeing responsible AI use.

NASA has appointed David Salvagnini as its first chief AI officer, expanding his role as chief data officer. In this position, Salvagnini will help shape NASA’s responsible AI efforts, develop risk management tools, and provide related training. Salvagnini joined NASA in June 2023, previously serving as the chief enterprise architect in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and as the technical director in the Department of Defense’s chief information office.

“AI has been safely used at NASA for decades and as this technology expands, it can accelerate the pace of discovery,” said Bill Nelson, NASA administrator. “It’s important that we remain at the forefront of advancement and responsible use. In this new role, Salvagnini will lead NASA’s efforts to guide our agency’s responsible use of AI in the cosmos and on Earth to benefit all humanity.”

This appointment follows President Biden’s AI Executive Order, which requires government agencies to have an official overseeing responsible AI use. Prior to Salvagnini, NASA’s chief scientist Kate Calvin acted as the responsible AI official. NASA employs various AI tools and technologies, including generative systems for designing spacecraft materials and AI models in collaboration with IBM to analyze Earth data from satellites.

Featured image: Credit: NASA