OpenAI is to provide $1bn (£… ) in subsidised access to its Daybreak cybersecurity platform over the next six months, after revealing that its Astra artificial intelligence model can independently identify previously unknown software vulnerabilities and turn them into working attacks.
The programme will include access to Daybreak’s security models, alongside training and technical support. OpenAI said the initiative would focus on organisations whose systems are considered particularly important to public and financial life.
Critical infrastructure operators, governments, banks, non-profit organisations and open-source maintainers will be prioritised. The latter group could include teams responsible for protecting cryptocurrency and blockchain software, areas where security depends heavily on publicly maintained code.
OpenAI’s decision comes as cryptocurrency companies seek access to more advanced artificial intelligence tools that can be used to strengthen defences against cyber attacks. The company’s disclosure about Astra has added urgency to that demand, because the same technology capable of identifying weaknesses for defensive purposes may also be able to develop practical methods of exploiting them.
Astra is described as being able to find software flaws that have not previously been known about. These vulnerabilities are commonly referred to as zero-days because developers and security teams may have no advance warning that they exist.
The model can also create working exploits based on the vulnerabilities it discovers. That means it is not limited to identifying a possible weakness: it can produce an attack that demonstrates how the flaw could be used.
OpenAI said Astra can carry out that process autonomously, without human help. The company’s announcement has therefore highlighted both the potential benefits and risks of using increasingly capable AI in cybersecurity.
Daybreak access will be subsidised rather than provided as a general, unrestricted service. OpenAI’s six-month programme is intended to help selected organisations use the technology, while also offering the training and technical support needed to deploy its models.
The emphasis on critical infrastructure and government systems reflects the importance of protecting services that could have wide consequences if disrupted. Banks are also included among the priority users, while non-profit organisations and open-source maintainers may have fewer resources available for defending the software on which other services depend.
For cryptocurrency and blockchain projects, the programme could give security teams access to advanced tools for examining code and identifying weaknesses before they are exploited. OpenAI specifically identifies open-source maintainers as a priority category, meaning teams working on publicly accessible software may be among those able to benefit.
The announcement links the financial commitment directly to the capabilities of Astra. As AI systems become better at finding unknown flaws and converting them into usable attacks, OpenAI is positioning Daybreak as a way for defenders to respond with similar technological support.
