Los Alamos National Laboratory said Thursday it will use OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models to conduct national security research across a wide range of scientific and technological subjects.
OpenAI said it wants to support the famed New Mexico federal lab’s efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war, while the lab said it hopes the models prove beneficial for threat detection, cybersecurity, preventing disease and accelerating basic sciences.
The lab’s Venado supercomputer is moving to a classified network and will run OpenAI’s models.
“With the capabilities from OpenAI on Venado we have a chance to make contributions to the nation that seemed impossible just a few years ago,” said Jason Pruet, director of Los Alamos’ National Security AI Office, in a statement.
OpenAI said it would develop future projects with the lab and Microsoft to support the U.S. government and ensure advanced artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.
“This is the beginning of a new era, where AI will advance science, strengthen national security, and support U.S. government initiatives,” OpenAI said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this transformation, and we extend our thanks to the leaders of the National Labs and government officials for placing their trust in us, and to Microsoft for our enduring partnership that helped make these advances possible.”
OpenAI officials visited Washington on Thursday for meetings with leaders from across the government, according to OpenAI’s Chris Lehane. Mr. Lehane said on X his company planned to pitch policymakers on plans to drive economic growth and represented perhaps the first “major tech demo” in the Washington region.
National laboratories born from the Atomic Age are focusing now on AI, including Los Alamos National Lab, which was created to build an atomic bomb.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee similarly grew out of the Manhattan Project’s effort to build atomic bombs and is also prioritizing AI. The Tennessee-based lab opened an AI security research center in 2023 and its founding director told The Washington Times he had concerns about a ruthlessly efficient AI system.
U.S. officials have concerns about research security and theft of intellectual property surrounding cutting-edge AI developments in America. Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick accused China’s DeepSeek AI app of stealing from America for its newest models that purportedly rival OpenAI’s services but cost far less to build.
Claims about the low cost of DeepSeek’s work have spread from Silicon Valley but top AI minds doubt their veracity. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for example, published a lengthy essay this week that said the cost-to-quality ratios of DeepSeek’s work are “not anywhere near” what people have suggested.
Mr. Amodei said claims about DeepSeek’s threat to America’s global AI leadership are “greatly overstated.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.