OpenAI Appoints AI Safety Official to Foundation Board

Paul Christiano, an AI safety official, has joined the OpenAI Foundation board.

Paul Christiano, an influential AI researcher focused on alignment, has joined the OpenAI Foundation board. Christiano is known for his work on keeping AI systems aligned with human interests and under human control. He previously worked at OpenAI, where he developed reinforcement learning (RL) from human feedback, a key technique for training large language models. Christiano left OpenAI in 2021 to found the Alignment Research Center.

Christiano's appointment comes as OpenAI faces scrutiny regarding its safety procedures. He will serve on the board's Safety and Security Committee, which has the final say on the release of new models. Christiano has also been affiliated with the U.S. government’s AI Safety Institute, which later became the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, where he advises on evaluating frontier AI models. He will continue this advisory role while serving on the OpenAI board, recusing himself from OpenAI-specific matters and model evaluations.

Christiano has expressed concerns that rapid advancements in AI capabilities could lead to a catastrophic loss of control. He believes the AI industry, including OpenAI, is not currently on track to sufficiently reduce this risk. His joining the board is motivated by the belief that OpenAI could significantly reduce risk if it rises to the occasion.

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