As federal agencies seek to use artificial intelligence (AI) in operational capacities, NASA appointed David Salvagnini as the organization’s first formal top AI officer on Monday.
President Joe Biden’s comprehensive executive order on AI from October mandated agencies to appoint chief AI officers if they did not already have one. Salvagnini’s appointment complies with this directive. Salvagnini’s present responsibilities as NASA’s chief data officer will be expanded by this new position, which will place a greater focus on developing and implementing a strategic vision for AI between NASA and outside partners.
In a press release announcing the appointment, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated, “Artificial intelligence has been safely used at NASA for decades, and as this technology expands, it can accelerate the pace of discovery.” It’s critical that we continue to lead the way in innovation and appropriate usage. David will take charge of NASA’s initiatives in this new capacity to direct our organization’s ethical application of AI on Earth and in space for the good of all people.
After serving as chief architect and director of the architecture and integration group at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Salavigni joined the space agency in June 2023 as chief data officer. Salavigni has almost twenty years of experience as an IT worker in the intelligence community, based on his LinkedIn profile.
Salavigni posted on LinkedIn, “Like the IC, NASA is an amazing organization that will stretch me personally and professionally.”
Salavigni was appointed in response to oversight reports that suggested NASA shift its internal action items to prioritize high-end computing, thereby affecting the agency’s potential for using AI.
In 2023, the Inspector General of NASA discovered that, despite artificial intelligence being used in several agency programs, the organization did not have a single description of the technology.
