Toni Hipp, Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs
As a critical player and strategic advisor in Primer’s operations, Toni Hipp serves as a bridge between the organization and its leadership, as well as between AI and key policymakers and government agencies. Her credentials are impressive, from her Yale pedigree and Masters in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon to a background honed at Google, Deloitte and the CIA. All of this comes to bear in her leadership roles focused on moving both Primer and AI forward.
We were able to get time with Toni during Woman’s History Month to discuss her roles at Primer and tap into her vision for the future of AI.
You have two roles at Primer. Can you tell us about them?
The first role is as Chief of Staff to our CEO, Sean Moriarty. I act as a bridge between Sean and the rest of the organization and their expectations. I meet with his leadership team and connect the dots between the challenges we’re facing and where there are synergies that we could be taking advantage of more. I also support some day-to-day operations and initiatives. And I engage some of our external stakeholders, our Advisory Board and other partners key to growing our business.
The second role is as Head of Government Affairs. It’s a sales enablement role, paving the way for our team to engage more effectively across the Federal government. As Head of Government Affairs, I work closely with the Executive Branch and policymakers, advocating for AI and showing them how Primer can support their core priorities.
You’ve been a Chief of Staff at Google, Deloitte and the CIA. What is it about AI that attracted you?
My interest in AI truly took root when I transitioned from the public sector to the private sector. It was there that I began to recognize the vast potential of AI—not just in tech, but across a wide range of high-stakes sectors like healthcare, national security, and beyond.
Conversations with my husband, who works on integrating AI into clinical diagnostics and therapeutics, deepened my understanding of how transformative AI can be. Seeing how AI improves critical medical decisions made me realize that the same technology could also revolutionize other high-stakes fields, such as national security.
Upon reflection about the time I spent as Chief of Staff within CIA’s Analysis Directorate, I came to realize how AI could greatly assist intelligence professionals by processing the enormous datasets they must assess, enabling faster, more accurate decisions in real time—something simply not possible through human effort alone.
In 1998, Garry Kasparov – one of the world’s greatest chess players – introduced the concept of “Advanced Chess,” where human players teamed up with computers. The study showed that the best outcomes came when humans and machines worked together as “centaurs,” with the combined effort outperforming both human grandmasters and standalone computers. This insight is key for AI’s role in intelligence and defense: AI doesn’t replace human judgment, it enhances it. It’s this collaboration—where AI augments decision-making—that holds the greatest promise for progress in national security and beyond.
You’ve worked at places that could be Primer’s customers or prospects. Tell us about how your experience as an analyst informs your work at Primer.
I served as an analyst at the CIA for over five years, where I wrote dozens of President’s Daily Briefs (PDBs) and other products for policymakers. This experience gave me a deep understanding of how intelligence works and the critical role analysts play.
Intelligence analysts are often the tip of the spear—they sift through vast amounts of data to tell accurate, actionable stories. The challenge is the time and effort it takes to manually process all that information. Analysts can now start their day with an AI tool like Primer that does the heavy lifting – automatically sorting through data and minimizing the risk of errors—so they can focus on the critical insights that matter most.
You could have worked anywhere in this area of AI. Why Primer?
What spoke to me about Primer is it felt like the culmination of all of the experiences I’d had before. I knew some of the technology pieces from my time at Google. I understood the consulting model and professional services angle from Deloitte. And I had defense and IC knowledge from my time at the CIA. Primer was the only place that fit every single component of my background. And then Sean Moriarty is just an outstanding leader—a real visionary. So, when Primer came across my radar, it was a no brainer.
Is there anything in the field of AI that you like to see developed more or done better?
The first thing is understanding some of the ethical implications of how AI is leveraged. As the use of AI expands into increasingly sensitive areas it’s going to be important to have ethical frameworks in place to make sure that AI is deployed appropriately. Another thought is that computing costs are currently high, limiting who can afford the technology. I’d like to see costs come down so other industries and groups that need AI can use it to strengthen their work.
Toni’s ability to span the gap between the capabilities of AI and the people who would benefit most from it is informed by a background in policy, analysis, technology and consulting. She has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of issues and simplify the pursuit of a solution. In her spare time, you’ll find her working out, reading historic novels by Caribbean authors and raising her three elementary school aged children how to use AI responsibly.
