OpenAI has announced that it is looking to hire a Head of Preparedness, a senior role aimed at guiding the company’s efforts to anticipate and address emerging risks tied to increasingly capable AI models. CEO Sam Altman posted on X that this position is “a critical role at an important time” and stressed that candidates should be prepared for demanding challenges as AI systems continue to evolve.
In his announcement, Altman highlighted that while AI models are enabling significant innovation, they are also beginning to present “real challenges,” including risks related to cybersecurity and potential impacts on mental health. OpenAI’s head of preparedness will be expected to lead the organisation’s preparedness framework, which involves building capability evaluations, establishing threat models, and coordinating mitigation strategies to manage frontier AI capabilities that could cause severe harm.
The new role is designed to strengthen OpenAI’s internal safety and risk planning architecture as the company navigates an era of rapid AI advancement. Observers note that this move reflects broader industry concerns about the potential misuse of powerful AI technologies and the need for dedicated leadership in risk preparedness.
This announcement comes at a time when AI developers face increasing scrutiny over the societal and technical risks posed by advanced models, with calls for more structured governance and safety planning as capabilities expand.
