OpenAI is looking for a new employee to help address the growing dangers of AI, and the tech company is willing to spend more than half a million dollars to fill the role.
OpenAI is hiring a “head of preparedness” to reduce harms associated with the technology, like user mental health and cybersecurity, CEO Sam Altman wrote in an X post on Saturday. The position will pay $555,000 per year, plus equity, according to the job listing.
“This will be a stressful job and you’ll jump into the deep end pretty much immediately,” Altman said.
OpenAI’s push to hire a safety executive comes amid companies’ growing concerns about AI risks on operations and reputations. A November analysis of annual Securities and Exchange Commission filings by financial data and analytics company AlphaSense found that in the first 11 months of the year, 418 companies worth at least $1 billion cited reputational harm associated with AI risk factors. These reputation-threatening risks include AI datasets that show biased information or jeopardize security. Reports of AI-related reputational harm increased 46% from 2024, according to the analysis.
“Models are improving quickly and are now capable of many great things, but they are also starting to present some real challenges,” Altman said in the social media post.
