OpenAI Seeks New Head of AI Preparedness

OpenAI is recruiting for a new Head of Preparedness, a senior role focused on assessing and mitigating risks from advanced AI systems.

OpenAI has initiated a search for a new Head of Preparedness, a senior executive role dedicated to leading the assessment and mitigation of catastrophic risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence systems. The opening highlights the organization's continued institutional focus on AI safety and frontier risk management as its models grow more capable. This recruitment drive signals an effort to bolster its internal safety governance framework amidst increasing external scrutiny from policymakers and the public over the long-term implications of AGI development.

This executive search for a dedicated preparedness leader contrasts with a more integrated or distributed approach to safety within tech firms. The creation of this standalone C-suite level position represents a formalization of risk mitigation as a core strategic pillar. Filling this role with a candidate possessing deep technical expertise and policy acumen is the critical organizational deliverable. This matters because it places the responsibility for proactive risk assessment at the highest level of the company, potentially influencing its research direction and product deployment policies to prioritize safety alongside capability.

For AI safety researchers, tech industry regulators, and ethics boards, the implications are significant. This move necessitates observation of who is selected and what authority and resources the role is granted. The forecast is for other leading AI labs to consider similar dedicated executive positions, creating a new sub-field of AI risk leadership. Decision-makers at competing organizations must evaluate their own governance structures. The next imperative for OpenAI is to ensure this new Head of Preparedness has a direct line to the board of directors and the power to influence critical technical decisions, making the role a substantive force for responsible innovation rather than a symbolic gesture.