IBM and OpenAI Bring Frontier AI to Cyber Defense--Helping Enterprises Keep Pace with Machine-Speed Threats

ARMONK, N.Y., June 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has joined the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program, bringing advanced frontier AI capabilities into security operations to help enterprises counter machine-speed threats. Building on the recently announced Project Lightwell, as part of this effort IBM has launched a new application security service that uses the cyber capabilities of OpenAI's models to help organizations identify and validate software vulnerabilities with greater speed, and precision.

Through this program, IBM is working with OpenAI to apply advanced AI capabilities to be deployed defensively inside enterprise workflows where they can help organizations understand and reduce their exposure.

The new application security service can go beyond traditional code scanning to identify and validate vulnerabilities using OpenAI cyber capabilities. AI-driven analysis assesses application code, and prioritizes areas with highest potential to contain flaws and exploitable paths. The security harness, powered by IBM Consulting Advantage – IBM's AI platform for delivering consulting services to clients – connects client application environments to advanced AI in a controlled, secured and governed way. Operating within the client's environment, with read-only access to code repositories and bounded execution, it enables large-scale exposure analysis.

Delivered as a managed, enterprise-ready service, clients can begin with focused evaluations of key applications and expand to continuous monitoring to reassess risk over time as code changes and new threats emerge.

Participation in the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program reflects IBM's ongoing role in shaping how frontier AI is deployed across enterprise workflows. Together with OpenAI and other partners, IBM is helping define standards for safeguards including for controlled analysis to help enterprises strengthen resilience.

Project Lightwell combines an enterprise security clearinghouse with a global force of engineers to patch, validate, and manage open source code across the software supply chain. Supported by a $5 billion commitment from IBM and Red Hat, the initiative will use OpenAI's cyber capabilities alongside other frontier AI models to help with code review and remediation.

"Attackers are already using AI to probe, exploit, and scale threats at machine speed. Defenders need the same advantage, with the security and control enterprises require," said Mark Hughes, Global Managing Partner, Cybersecurity Services, IBM Consulting. "The OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program expands our access to a broader set of advanced AI capabilities, which we deploy within our clients' environments to help surface the most relevant risks faster and help them act with confidence."

"Security is central to realizing the benefits of advanced AI," said Dane Stuckey, Chief Information Security Officer at OpenAI. "Through the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program, we are collaborating with AI pioneers like IBM to use frontier models to accelerate defensive security workflows and support enterprises, governments, and other organizations as they identify risks, strengthen resilience, improve security, and ultimately deploy AI with the trust, controls, and compliance their environments require."

The new application security service is available today, with further integrations planned as part of the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program.

Statements regarding IBM's and OpenAI's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain a competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contacts:

Elizabeth Brophy
IBM
elizabeth.brophy@ibm.com 

Michele Brancati 
IBM
mbrancati@ibm.com