OpenAI Seeks Risk Expert

What happened

OpenAI introduced a new Head of Preparedness role, based in San Francisco, offering up to $555,000 plus equity. This executive will lead efforts to identify and mitigate risks from advanced AI, specifically building capability evaluations, developing threat models, and overseeing safety measures across cybersecurity and biosecurity domains. The role guides decisions on model launches, internal policies, and safety protocols, requiring expertise in machine learning, AI safety, and risk assessment, and collaboration across research, engineering, and policy teams.

Why it matters

The establishment of a Head of Preparedness signals an increased internal oversight burden for AI model development and deployment. This introduces a new dependency for research and engineering teams, as model launches and internal policies will now be subject to additional safety protocol guidance. It raises due diligence requirements for IT security and biosecurity teams to align with evolving threat models and safety measures, increasing exposure to potential policy mismatches if not integrated effectively.