ONCD official says Trump administration aims to bolster AI use for defense without increasing risk | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Trump administration's ONCD announces a new push for AI-driven cyber defense. Learn how the White House plans to boost security, close workforce gaps, and counter adversary AI.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/trump-administration-ai-cybersecurity-oncd-strategy\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ONCD official says Trump administration aims to bolster AI use for defense without increasing risk\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Trump administration's ONCD announces a new push for AI-driven cyber defense. 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readability=\"26.116564417178\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.489795918367\">\n<p> Alexandra Seymour also talked about cyber workforce goals, including emulating Israel\u2019s Unit 8200. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/87834\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk.png?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk-1.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk-1.png?resize=768,512 768w, 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk-1.png?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk-1.png?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Alexandra Seymour, Office of the National Cyber Director; CyberTalks, Feb. 19, 2026 (CyberScoop) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"32.851903870162\"><body readability=\"68.240998217469\"><\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration wants to boost the use of artificial intelligence for security in a way that doesn\u2019t increase the number of targets for adversaries to attack, a top official with the Office of the National Cyber Director said Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The administration will \u201cpromote the rapid implementation of AI enabled cyber defensive tools to detect, divert and deceive threat actors who continue targeting our vital systems and sectors,\u201d Alexandra Seymour, principal deputy assistant cyber director for policy, said at CyberTalks, presented by CyberScoop. \u201cWe want to ensure that as Americans, companies and agencies deploy AI to defend themselves, they are not inadvertently making themselves more vulnerable by widening the attack surface.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Overall, \u201cWe\u2019re working with our interagency and White House colleagues to promote AI-driven success while addressing concerns about AI security and countering AI abuse by adversaries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The focus on AI is expected to get further attention from a <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/trump-national-cybersecurity-strategy-2025-release\/\">forthcoming national cyber strategy<\/a> and the implementation of that strategy due to follow.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe are prioritizing rapid but secure AI development and diffusion,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cFrom the start, we will support a full range of counter-AI efforts, assuring our frontier models and countering adversary AI that controls or threatens citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seymour reiterated how that means promoting <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/us-global-ai-cybersecurity-standards-push-national-cyber-director\/\">U.S. AI cybersecurity standards<\/a> and norms, but also \u201cestablishing industry best practices for secure AI deployment and harnessing the full potential of AI tools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the six pillars of that forthcoming strategy is focused on strengthening the cybersecurity workforce. The administration wants to consolidate existing efforts, drawing on the work of companies, government, academia, vocational schools and venture capital, Seymour said.<\/p>\n<p>The administration wants to align \u201ccurriculum, workforce standards, cyber literacy, awards and job placement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Seymour said one thing the administration hopes to emulate is Israel\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/richardbehar\/2016\/05\/11\/inside-israels-secret-startup-machine\/#58ed1c501a51\">Unit 8200<\/a>, an intelligence arm of the Israeli government that counts cyberwarfare among its missions. Its practices for training young talent includes boot camp-like classes and exercises.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe White House does not want to reinvent the wheel, because we recognize the magnitude of great work in the space across the public and private sectors to train and upskill the cyber workforce,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cRather, we hope to bring these existing resources all together to build a workforce pipeline that is clear, accessible and responsive to cyber skill gaps, including those related to emerging technologies such as AI and quantum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/therecord.media\/nsa-to-cut-up-to-2000-roles-downsizing\">shed personnel<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cisa-madhu-gottumukkala-house-homeland-hearing-workforce-staffing-levels\/\">major cyber agencies<\/a> across the government.<\/p>\n<p> <\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":8370,"date":"2026-02-19T12:12:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87834"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:12:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:12:04","slug":"oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/oncd-official-says-trump-administration-aims-to-bolster-ai-use-for-defense-without-increasing-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"ONCD official says Trump administration aims to bolster AI use for defense without increasing risk"},"content":{"rendered":"