The importance of democratizing generative AI to fulfill national security missions: Insights from AWS executive Ash Thankey

The US Federal Government has a massive opportunity to adopt the latest assistive technologies, including generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help assist with complex problems and fulfill their missions. I’m curious, like many of you, in today’s climate about the opportunities technology provides for national security so warfighters and intelligence analysts alike can focus on the work that matters most.

Ash Thankey, director of national security sales at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Worldwide Public Sector (WWPS), is an empathetic and energizing trailblazer who has built a career embedded in diversity of thought and problem solving, with customer obsession at the forefront. If there is anyone who knows how to consider multiple viewpoints to make informed decisions that directly assist in mission outcomes, it’s Ash.

I’m Sarah Storelli, senior global marketing leader for WWPS at AWS, and I’m on a quest to discover the people behind innovations across industries. In the vodcast series AWS Behind the Cloud, I connect with pioneers serving the public sector globally to learn more about how their stories shape and define the way they build and support cutting-edge technologies that help make the world a better place.

In the 10th episode of AWS Behind the Cloud, I sat down with Ash to uncover:

• If leveraging generative AI in the US Federal Government can make America safer
• How AWS can help the US Federal Government fulfill their mission-critical needs
• How his culture as an immigrant from the London boroughs has shaped him personally and professionally
• Who has inspired him the most along his journey
• What his favorite Amazon Leadership Principle is, and why
• What he wants to be known for to future generations

Curious to learn more about Ash’s journey and his thoughts about generative AI being transformational for national security missions? Watch the latest episode of AWS Behind the Cloud or check it out on AWS LinkedIn.

Additional resources:

• Learn more about how AWS helps support public sector organizations using generative AI.
• Learn more about Generative AI for National Security.
• Learn more about How Government Tech Leaders Can Prepare for Quantum.
• Want to learn skills your way? Check out AWS Skill Builder.
• Watch more AWS Behind the Cloud vodcast episodes in the series.
• Learn more about AWS services to apply AI in the real world: Amazon Q, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and PartyRock.