Artificial intelligence (AI) can be an asset for national security—or a threat if left uncontrolled.
That was the message from Horacio Rozanski, the top executive at one of the nation’s premier technology and consulting companies, during an on-campus discussion with AU students, faculty, and alums as part of the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics’ Distinguished Lecturer series.
Rozanski is president and CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton—a global firm with an extensive government contracting portfolio, not to mention the employer for some 350 AU alums, including 50 from the Kogod School of Business.
Entitled “Harnessing the Power of AI for National Security,” the September 11, 2023, discussion occurred against a somber backdrop, 22 years after the most devasting national security breach in our nation’s history.
Preventing another event like the 2001 terrorist attacks, Rozanski told the audience, is at the heart of his firm’s work.
“We are one of the companies—I like to believe the best—bringing new ideas, transformation, and technology across all aspects of our government to hopefully prevent things like that from ever happening,” Rozanski said.
The conversation also took place amid some of the most rapid and significant technological changes we’ve ever seen, with the proliferation of artificial intelligence products promising to disrupt how we live and work.
Indeed, the growth of AI has only accelerated a decade-plus of change at Booz Allen Hamilton, where Rozanski has helped drive the execution of a strategy known as “VoLT,” focused on velocity, leadership, and technology.
It’s a transformation that prompted Kogod Dean David Marchick, the event’s moderator, to kick off the discussion with an existential question.
“Is Booz Allen a consulting company? Is it a technology company? National security?” Marchick asked.