OpenAI seeks new executive to lead AI safety preparedness

OpenAI is actively recruiting a new Head of Preparedness to study AI-related risks and oversee its risk management framework, offering a compensation package of $555,000. The incoming executive will be responsible for executing the company’s preparedness framework, which explains OpenAI’s approach to tracking and preparing for “frontier capabilities”—defined by the company as advanced AI model capabilities—that create new risks of “severe harm.” This hiring push marks a transition for the safety team, which was originally established in 2023 to study potential “catastrophic risks.” The role was previously held by Aleksander Madry, who served as the former Head of Preparedness before the company began its search for a new executive to lead the framework.

The recruitment effort comes as OpenAI addresses growing concerns over the capabilities of its technology. In a post on the social media platform X, CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that AI models are “starting to present some real challenges,” including their potential impact on mental health and their ability to identify critical computer security vulnerabilities. Altman highlighted the dual-use nature of these systems and invited candidates to apply, writing: “If you want to help the world figure out how to enable cybersecurity defenders with cutting edge capabilities while ensuring attackers can’t use them for harm, ideally by making all systems more secure, and similarly for how we release biological capabilities and even gain confidence in the safety of running systems that can self-improve, please consider applying.”

The leadership search also coincides with intense external scrutiny and legal challenges regarding the safety of generative AI. OpenAI faces lawsuits alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot product has “reinforced users’ delusions,” “increased their social isolation,” and “led some to suicide.” Amid these safety concerns, OpenAI recently updated its preparedness framework. The updated guidelines state that the company might adjust its safety requirements if a competing AI lab releases a “high-risk” model.

Why it matters

OpenAI is seeking a new executive to lead its preparedness framework, which tracks risks ranging from cybersecurity to biological threats, amid ongoing scrutiny regarding the impact of its AI models on mental health and safety.