OpenAI and ukraine collaborate on AI cybersecurity initiative to shield critical infrastructure

OpenAI and the Ukrainian government have launched a cybersecurity partnership through the Daybreak program, providing AI tools and subsidized computing resources to defend the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. The agreement, announced at OpenAI’s New York office, includes over $1 billion in subsidized tokens to support the initiative. Dmytro Kushneruk, consul general of Ukraine in San Francisco, highlighted the use of AI for cybersecurity automation, including incident response and threat triaging, emphasizing that AI complements, rather than replaces, human expertise. Ukraine faces approximately 6,000 cyberattacks annually, with sustained attacks from Russia since 2015. The collaboration aims to ensure essential services like power and water systems remain operational amid ongoing threats. National security experts, including Naz Durakoğlu of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have praised Ukraine’s resilience as a model for U.S. critical infrastructure. OpenAI has also engaged with U.S. power companies to discuss AI-driven grid protection. Sasha Baker, OpenAI’s national security policy head, stressed the urgency of deploying these tools globally to counter potential misuse by malicious actors. The initiative reflects OpenAI’s broader push to use AI for global cybersecurity challenges, as outlined in a letter by Greg Brockman, the company’s co-founder.