OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Steps Down from Safety and Security Committee

OpenAI has announced that CEO Sam Altman will step down from the company’s safety and security committee, which will now consist entirely of independent board members. This decision addresses concerns raised by critics about the committee’s ability to effectively oversee OpenAI’s practices while Altman, the company’s CEO, was still a member.

The newly restructured committee will be chaired by Zico Kolter, Director of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University. Other members include Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, retired U.S. Army General and former NSA chief Paul Nakasone, and former Sony general counsel Nicole Seligman.

OpenAI stated that the committee will be involved in reviewing major AI models and, alongside the full board, will have the authority to delay the release of new models if necessary. The committee recently assessed the safety of OpenAI’s o1 model, also known as “Strawberry,” which was rated as presenting “medium risk” under the company’s internal evaluation.

Additionally, OpenAI is working on implementing the committee’s recommendations, which include enhancing transparency, collaborating more closely with external groups, and streamlining security practices across its growing array of product teams. The safety and security committee was formed in May following the departure of several employees who had raised concerns about safety. In June, OpenAI strengthened the board by adding Nakasone as a member.

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