Lisa Einstein (Guinea) | at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

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CISA names Lisa Einstein as Chief AI Officer

Lisa Einstein (Guinea 2016-18)

CISA said Thursday the appointment reflects the agency’s commitment to advancing the responsible use of AI to meet its cyber defense mission and assist critical infrastructure operators and owners in pursuing the secure and safe development and adoption of AI tools.

CISA Director Jen Easterly said Einstein has played a central role in helping the agency understand and respond to rapid AI advancements, which have significant implications for CISA’s critical infrastructure security and cyber defense missions.

“Beyond her technical expertise, she’s an inspirational leader who has brought together colleagues across the agency around a clear and impactful vision. I could not be more thrilled to have her take on this important new role, which will help us continue to build AI expertise into the fabric of our agency and ensure we are equipped to effectively leverage the power of AI well into the future,” Easterly, a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said of Einstein.

In 2022, Einstein joined CISA as executive director of the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she served as a Staff Fellow for the Federation of American Scientists and as a Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellow within the Center for a New American Security.

Einstein co-founded GNCode and taught physics as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea (2016-18).

She was Stanford’s first dual master’s degree recipient in computer science (artificial intelligence specialization) and international policy (cyber policy and security specialization). While at Stanford, she led H.R. McMaster’s research team on emerging technologies and geopolitics, contributed to a forthcoming book on trust and safety engineering, and conducted research on AI-augmented education and algorithmic decision support tools for humanitarian evacuations.

Previously, Lisa taught physics to over 600 students as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Guinea. With some of her students, she co-founded Association des Jeunes pour la Défense des Droits des Enfants (AJDE), a Guinean NGO that promotes girls’ education and combats early marriage and gender-based violence. She received her BA from Princeton in physics and dance, and danced professionally for several years, including with Camille A. Brown and Dancers.