OpenAI Takes Steps to Safeguard Against Frontier AI Risks with Launch of Preparedness Team

OpenAI, a pioneering organization in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), has unveiled a significant new initiative to address the emerging risks associated with frontier AI systems. This announcement underscores OpenAI's steadfast commitment to ensuring the responsible development and safety of AI, extending its focus from today's AI systems to the potentially superintelligent AI of the future.

Frontier AI models, set to surpass the capabilities of current advanced models, hold incredible promise for the betterment of humanity. However, they simultaneously introduce heightened risks that necessitate proactive management. OpenAI is at the forefront of efforts to manage these catastrophic risks associated with frontier AI systems and is posing essential questions:

• Risk Assessment: OpenAI is exploring the profound question of how dangerous frontier AI systems can be when employed maliciously, both in the present and as their capabilities evolve.
• Framework Development: It aims to establish a resilient and adaptable framework for the continual monitoring, evaluation, prediction, and protection against the perilous capabilities of frontier AI systems.
• Security Measures: Considerations are being made for scenarios in which the parameters or "weights" of a frontier AI model might be compromised or stolen and how malicious actors could leverage these for their purposes.

Recognizing the urgency of comprehending and mitigating these risks, OpenAI has introduced a groundbreaking initiative known as the "Preparedness Team." Led by the esteemed Aleksander Madry, the Preparedness team is tasked with aligning capability assessment, evaluations, and internal "red teaming" efforts. This comprehensive approach covers all facets of frontier AI models, from those currently under development to systems with capabilities equivalent to artificial general intelligence (AGI).

The central mission of the Preparedness team encompasses:

1. Risk Evaluation: A holistic focus on tracking, evaluating, forecasting, and safeguarding against catastrophic risks across multiple domains. These include, but are not limited to, individualized persuasion, cybersecurity, threats related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials, and the challenges posed by autonomous replication and adaptation (ARA).

2. Risk-Informed Development Policy (RDP): OpenAI is actively engaged in the formulation and management of an RDP. This policy will articulate the organization's approach to conducting rigorous capability evaluations and ongoing monitoring of frontier AI models. The RDP also outlines a spectrum of protective actions and establishes a governance structure to enforce accountability and oversight throughout the entire development process. Importantly, this policy complements OpenAI's existing risk mitigation work, designed to ensure the safety and alignment of new, highly capable AI systems, both pre- and post-deployment.

OpenAI's enduring dedication to addressing these formidable challenges reflects the organization's commitment to AI development that is not only technologically advanced but also highly responsible. These proactive measures align seamlessly with OpenAI's prior voluntary commitments, made in collaboration with other leading AI labs, to enhance safety, security, and trust in AI.

By establishing the Preparedness team, OpenAI is taking significant strides towards guaranteeing the safe and ethical development and deployment of frontier AI systems.