Author: OpenAI

Translated by: Deep Tide TechFlow

Deep Tide Overview: On September 3, OpenAI launched the "Daybreak for Frontline Defenders" global initiative, committing to invest $1 billion to subsidize access to the Daybreak network models and products, training, technical support, and collaborative resources, initially focusing on water and wastewater systems, grid operators, state and local governments, community and regional banks, non-profit organizations, and open-source maintainers in the United States. The initiative also includes public sector and water pilot projects with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), as well as over 35 collaborative products and services launched through the Daybreak Defense Network. OpenAI assesses that AI-driven cyberattacks will significantly proliferate in the coming months, and defenders need to seize the narrowing "defender window" to patch vulnerabilities ahead of attackers.

OpenAI is committed to subsidizing access to Daybreak, training, technical support, and collaborative resources to help frontline defenders protect critical services.

Today, OpenAI launched "Daybreak for Frontline Defenders," a new global initiative designed to help frontline defenders leverage cutting-edge AI cybersecurity capabilities to protect essential services in the United States and around the world. The plan includes:

• A $1 billion global commitment to expand subsidized access to Daybreak network models and products, as well as training, technical support, and collaboration, covering both the U.S. and international scope.
• "Daybreak for America," which integrates all of OpenAI's work in the U.S. aimed at protecting systems on which the public relies daily, from water and electricity to local government and banking systems, including a new pilot with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC).
• Providing more than 35 enterprise products and partner operational services through the "Daybreak Defense Network," incorporating Daybreak network models into the tools, services, and workflows already employed by enterprise defenders.

Every day, we rely on cybersecurity defenders to protect the systems that keep our communities running: the water that flows from our taps, the electricity that powers homes and businesses, the local government systems that provide public services, and the financial institutions where people entrust their funds. Many defenders are short-staffed and operating on tight budgets while guarding complex and often aging systems.

In the coming months, as global model capabilities continue to improve, AI-driven cyberattacks will become more prevalent and sophisticated. This shift serves as a wake-up call for all organizations. Defenders must act immediately to test systems, identify weaknesses, and fortify defenses ahead of attackers.

Cutting-edge AI can help defenders act faster. We have a "defender window," a narrowing opportunity to bridge security gaps with AI before attackers exploit them. Our responsibility is to put powerful tools in the hands of defenders, enabling them to protect the systems and the public they are responsible for.

Last week, we joined over 150 organizations from the cybersecurity, technology, critical infrastructure, finance, and AI sectors in calling for collective action to seize this window. No single company can protect the systems we collectively rely on alone. Every organization bears responsibility, and defenders need the tools to enable them to act more quickly.

Today, OpenAI makes a significant commitment to provide help. "Daybreak for Frontline Defenders" integrates a $1 billion subsidy to gain access to cutting-edge cybersecurity capabilities and provides hands-on training, technical assistance, and new collaborations to deliver these capabilities to organizations that protect daily services for the public. We start from the areas with the largest gaps: those frontline defenders carrying immense responsibilities but lacking the resources of the world's largest companies. Our goal is to create a model that not only protects the services Americans rely on but also, in partnership with our allies, delivers cutting-edge cybersecurity to global frontline defenders.

$1 Billion for Frontline Defenders

OpenAI commits to investing $1 billion to subsidize access to Daybreak, helping resource-limited cybersecurity defenders (starting in the U.S.) utilize cutting-edge AI, aiming to fully allocate the funds within the next six months. As part of the "Daybreak for America" commitment, we will prioritize service operators of critical services, including water and wastewater systems, grid operators, as well as state and local governments, community and regional banks, non-profit organizations, open-source maintainers, and other organizations with limited security resources. Many of these teams must protect complex and often outdated systems while facing faster threats under constraints of budget, tools, and expertise compared to larger enterprises. Access to Daybreak can assist them in reviewing legacy code, analyzing suspicious activities, identifying and validating vulnerabilities, prioritizing the most severe risks, and developing and testing remediation solutions. In the coming weeks, we plan to expand this model to partner countries.

This commitment builds on the support already provided to infrastructure defenders facing urgent threats. After the recent attacks on U.S. water systems, we provided up to $1 million of free API credits, Daybreak access, and technical assistance to the affected states and utility companies. Relevant teams utilized this support to review code and system configurations, validate findings, develop patches, and confirm fixes, all while maintaining the operations of water systems and ensuring communities continue to receive essential services.

Expanding Access to Cutting-edge AI and Providing Hands-on Support for Defenders

Earlier this year, we launched Daybreak, which allows vetted public and private sector defenders to utilize advanced AI for authorized cybersecurity defense. Daybreak Blue supports routine defense operations with our mainline model; Daybreak Red opens dedicated network models to approved organizations for more sensitive, technically demanding tasks. Already, 2,000 approved organizations and thousands of defenders in working spaces are using Daybreak, including cybersecurity companies, defense organizations, and law enforcement agencies.

While expanding access, we are also enhancing hands-on support for frontline defenders in critical industries. We have convened a series of ongoing meetings with frontline defenders, including utility companies, state and local governments, and community banks, to learn from them and assist them in hardening systems with our tools; as "Daybreak for Frontline Defenders" expands, we will continue to host such meetings. This week, the second utility company gathering brought together participants representing 40 states and the District of Columbia, collectively providing critical services to more than half of the U.S. population.

New Collaborations with Defenders

It is only meaningful to obtain powerful models when frontline defenders have the necessary training and support to effectively use them. Today, we announce a pilot program with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) focused on the public sector and water services, providing training and support for cybersecurity defenders in states, locals, tribes, and territories. This pilot will combine Daybreak access with guided training and hands-on assistance for the first group of public sector and water system defenders, helping them validate findings and prioritize, coordinate remediation, and develop a replicable methodology that can scale over time.

MS-ISAC provides cyber threat intelligence, incident response support, real-time information sharing, and other shared defensive capabilities to thousands of public sector organizations, including utilities, public hospitals, K-12 schools, and law enforcement agencies. Its members protect many of the systems that are closest to Americans' daily lives, from drinking water and public hospitals to schools, emergency services, and local governments. The pilot aims to create a model that will ultimately benefit various organizations within this broader community.

Support also needs to reach defenders through the tools and services they are already using. Today, our partners in the Daybreak Defense Network are announcing the launch of over 35 collaborative products and partner operational services to deliver OpenAI's Daybreak network models to enterprises. Our goal is to bring collective action to fruition, producing products, services, and workflows that defenders can use.

Ultimately, the goal is not just to find more vulnerabilities but to fix them more quickly. This week, we released OpenAI's approach to building a "Defense Factory," a continuous, agent-first operational method that builds on existing security and engineering tools to identify and validate vulnerabilities and prepare tested fixes for review. We are publicly sharing its architecture and experiences so that other defenders can adapt it to their own environments.

Work with Us

The defender window will not remain open indefinitely. The current opportunity is to ensure that the advantages that cutting-edge AI can bring to defenders benefit not only the largest companies and the most well-resourced security teams but also extend into communities and institutions whose security conditions affect millions.

This means not only providing access to powerful models. It also means helping frontline defenders—water companies, community banks, healthcare systems, local governments—discover vulnerabilities, turn them into tested fixes, and protect the people they serve. "Daybreak for Frontline Defenders" is our commitment to putting this capability in the hands of the frontline defenders who need it most. Our goal is to make the systems Americans rely on harder to attack and easier to fix with cutting-edge AI.

Eligible state and local governments, critical infrastructure operators, non-profit organizations, open-source maintainers, and support organizations can visit the Daybreak website to learn more about access, technical assistance, training, and other cybersecurity support.