Ex-Google, PWC Employees Tapped by US to Advise on AI, Security

Former product managers and engineers from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, PwC LLP, and McKinsey & Co Inc., will counsel the Biden administration on using AI to boost national security, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

The first 10 members of the department’s new AI corps include product managers, data scientists, and researchers from the private sector and US government, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

The AI corps will advise the agency on its use of artificial intelligence to counter fentanyl trafficking, improve immigration services, boost cybersecurity, and other functions.

Sean Harvey, who led a YouTube team countering election misinformation, and Jenny Kim, who previously developed machine learning tools for McKinsey, are among the advisers joining the department having spent time in the private sector. Robin Rosenberger and Christine Palmer will move to the agency from technology posts at the Department of Defense.

The Biden administration wants to entice more private sector workers with AI expertise to join its ranks. The Office of Personnel Management, which manages human resources for the federal workforce, has given agencies permission to fast track hiring AI talent, including computer scientists and engineers. The Department of Homeland Security is aiming to hire 40 more AI technologists in the coming months.