OpenAI is recruiting a new Head of Preparedness to help manage the risks posed by advanced AI systems. CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X that the role will be “stressful,” adding that the hire will be thrown into the work almost immediately. The position pays $555,000 per year, plus equity.
The unusually high salary reflects the scale of the challenges the role is meant to address, including job displacement, misinformation, malicious use of AI, environmental impact, and the gradual loss of human agency.
Altman described the role as critical, noting that AI models are advancing rapidly and now present real-world risks. He cited early signs of mental health concerns linked to AI use, as well as growing capabilities in areas like computer security, where models are beginning to uncover serious vulnerabilities.
ChatGPT has helped bring AI chatbots into everyday use, with people relying on them for research, writing, planning, and other tasks. Some users, however, have begun using the tools as substitutes for therapy, which in certain cases has worsened mental health issues. OpenAI said in October that it was working with mental health experts to improve how ChatGPT responds to users showing signs of distress, including psychosis or self-harm.
Although OpenAI was founded with a mission centered on safety and benefiting humanity, former employees have publicly claimed that commercial pressures have increasingly taken priority. In May 2024, a former safety leader said the company had drifted away from its original safety-focused culture. Other staff members resigned around the same time, citing concerns about OpenAI’s readiness to responsibly handle the development of human-level AI.
The Head of Preparedness role sits within OpenAI’s Safety Systems team and is responsible for leading evaluations, threat modeling, and mitigation strategies to ensure AI systems can be deployed at scale with safeguards in place.