NASA names David Salvagnini as first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer | Science News
In an effort to maximally gaining the benefits from emerging AI technologies at serving the goals and missions of NASA, the American national space agency has appointed its first Chief AI officer, David Salvagnini. AI is and will be used to sift through Earth imagery, identifying areas of interest, hunt for exoplanets and schedule communications, among other applications.
David Salvagnini, the first Chief AI officer at NASA. (Image Credit: NASA).
New Delhi: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has named David Salvagnini as the first chief artificial intelligence officer. Salvagnini was already serving the agency as the chief data officer, and now his role has been expanded. NASA uses a wide range of AI tools to support its missions and research project, including analysing data to identify trends and patterns, as well as developing novel systems for autonomous operations of spacecraft and aircraft.
Nelson said, “Artificial intelligence has been safely used at NASA for decades, and as this technology expands, it can accelerate the pace of discovery. It’s important that we remain at the forefront of advancement and responsible use. In this new role, David will lead NASA’s efforts to guide our agency’s responsible use of AI in the cosmos and on Earth to benefit all humanity.”
Who is David Salvagnini?
Salvagnini has now been tasked for aligning the strategic vision and planning for AI use across NASA, and will work with private industry collaborators as well as international partners. Salvagnini joined NASA in 2023 after more than 20 years of experience in the intelligence community. He served in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as the chief architect and director of the architecture and integration group. David has also previously served in the Air Force for 21 years, retiring in 2005 as a communications and computer systems officer.
Salvagnini held a variety of positions at the Defence Intelligence Agency including Chief Information Office Technical Director, Chief Data Officer and Deputy Chief of the Enterprise Cyber and Infrastructure Services divisions. Salvagnini supported the deployment of AI capabilities and the development of analytic tradecraft related to AI use as part of intelligence production. Salvagnini went on to be appointed to the Senior Executive Service as the Senior Technical Officer for Enterprise IT and Cyber Operations at the DIA in 2016.
