OpenAI hires Dan Driscoll, former US Army secretary who took part in Ukraine peace talks

OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT chatbot, has announced the appointment of former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to the position of "senior counselor for national security modernization." In this role, Driscoll will collaborate with U.S. allies to promote the responsible utilization of artificial intelligence. Speaking about the appointment, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed his enthusiasm for strengthening American leadership and fostering the spread of democratic AI through international cooperation.

Before joining OpenAI, Driscoll served as the U.S. Army Secretary under President Donald Trump and was seen as a protégé of Vice President JD Vance. In November 2025, Trump appointed Driscoll as his special envoy for Ukraine, during which he visited Kyiv to present Ukraine's president with the Trump administration's peace plan aimed at ending the war.

Although Volodymyr Zelensky did not accept the plan, he agreed to continue working on it. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly removed Driscoll from the negotiations to conclude the Russia-Ukraine conflict in late December 2025. Driscoll later participated in trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi in February.

His resignation from his position as Army Secretary came in late August, reportedly due to disagreements with Hegseth.