OpenAI is seeking a new leader to help navigate the increasingly complex risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence systems. As reported by startupnews.fyi in an article titled “OpenAI is Hiring a New Head of Preparedness to Try to Predict and Mitigate AI’s Harms,” the San Francisco-based AI research company has opened a high-level position focused on anticipating and managing the societal and technical risks posed by its most powerful models.
The Head of Preparedness will join OpenAI’s “Preparedness” team, recently established as part of the company’s larger Governance division. This role will be tasked with forecasting emergent risks in AI development, such as cyber threats, misinformation campaigns, and autonomous capabilities, while designing strategies to counter these potential harms before they materialize. The position reflects growing concern—both within the industry and among the public—about the unintended consequences of highly capable AI systems.
OpenAI’s latest move underscores its self-imposed responsibility to safeguard against the misuse and accidental dangers of AI. The Preparedness team draws particular focus on what the company calls “frontier AI models”—the most advanced iterations of large language models and general-purpose learning systems which may exhibit unpredictable behaviors as they scale. According to the job listing, candidates are expected to bring expertise in technical safety, threat intelligence, or national security—highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of the challenge.
This strategic hiring initiative comes amid broader debate about AI governance worldwide. Regulators, researchers, and industry leaders have accelerated conversations around the ethical deployment of AI tools and the potential need for global oversight. OpenAI’s action signals that at least some inside the sector are willing to internalize those discussions and commit organizational resources to risk mitigation.
The startupnews.fyi article notes that OpenAI is not only focused on responding to harms but also on conducting proactive forecasting, scenario modeling, and red teaming activities, with the goal of preventing critical failures before releasing its most powerful systems. The position will serve as a counterpart to its more public-facing alignment work, which centers on making sure AI systems behave in ways consistent with human intentions.
OpenAI’s evolving approach to self-regulation and internal oversight reflects its growing influence in the AI landscape. With models like GPT-4 and the anticipated launch of even more capable successors, the company faces increasing scrutiny over how its technologies may reshape labor markets, politics, and global security.
As the field races ahead, OpenAI’s search for a new Head of Preparedness marks a signal of intent: a recognition that progress and responsibility must advance in lockstep—at least if the company hopes to maintain public trust and technological stewardship over systems that are quickly outpacing traditional modes of risk management.
