Sam Altman Seeks Expert to Address AI Safety Concerns

OpenAI is on the lookout for a Head of Preparedness, a role dedicated to anticipating the myriad ways AI could go awry. In a recent post, Sam Altman highlighted the challenges posed by the rapid evolution of AI models, particularly their potential effects on mental health and the risks associated with AI-driven cybersecurity threats.

The job description outlines that the individual will be tasked with:

> “Tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm. You will be the directly responsible leader for building and coordinating capability evaluations, threat models, and mitigations that form a coherent, rigorous, and operationally scalable safety pipeline.”

Altman emphasized that this role will involve implementing the company’s “preparedness framework,” ensuring the safety of AI models in relation to “biological capabilities,” and establishing guidelines for self-improving systems. He also noted that the position is likely to be quite demanding, which is an understatement given the stakes involved.

With recent incidents where chatbots have been linked to tragic outcomes among teens, it raises concerns about the timing of this focus on the mental health implications of these technologies. The phenomenon of AI-induced psychosis is becoming increasingly alarming, as chatbots can exacerbate delusions, promote conspiracy theories, and even enable individuals to conceal eating disorders.