OpenAI Seeks Head of Preparedness for AI Security Risks
Can OpenAI's preparedness strategy truly ensure safe development, or are the risks so great that only a moratorium on advanced AI can contain them?
Above: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at a media tour of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2025. Image credit: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Techno-optimist narrative
AI's growing capabilities present challenges that require thoughtful management, not fear-mongering, as the same technology used to exploit systemic vulnerabilities can also make them more secure. OpenAI's preparedness team will facilitate the safe deployment of these powerful capabilities, enabling cybersecurity defenders while preventing misuse.
Techno-skeptic narrative
The rush toward increasingly more advanced systems of AI poses a fundamental threat to human freedom, economic security and even survival itself. With the stakes so high, mitigation is not enough. AI companies must pause development entirely until advanced AI systems have a scientific consensus confirming their safety and genuine public support.
