OpenAI Searches for Head of Preparedness as AI Risks Enter New Era

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly powerful and integrated into everyday life, OpenAI is taking a strategic step to strengthen its safety leadership.

The company has officially begun hiring for a new Head of Preparedness, a role CEO Sam Altman calls "a critical role at an important time."

What's the Head of Preparedness Role?

This is far from a ceremonial title. According to Mashable, the Head of Preparedness will focus on identifying, measuring, and mitigating potential harms caused by advanced AI models. These risks span mental health impacts, misinformation, cybersecurity threats, and the real-world misuse of AI-generated outputs.

Altman explained that OpenAI already has robust systems for tracking model capabilities. The bigger challenge lies in understanding how those capabilities could be misused and how to reduce harm without limiting AI's positive impact.

The Head of Preparedness will be at the center of this balancing act, ensuring safety considerations are integrated into products before they reach the public.

Based in San Francisco, the Head of Preparedness role comes with a reported salary of $555,000 plus equity. While the compensation is substantial, the expectations are even higher. The role requires technical expertise, ethical judgment, crisis management skills, and the ability to operate under intense public and legal pressure.

Why OpenAI Is Hiring Now

OpenAI has not had a dedicated Head of Preparedness since mid-2024. Previously, two executives shared the responsibility, but the arrangement ended when one left, and the other transitioned to a different team in 2025, per Engadget's report. Since then, the role remained vacant, even as OpenAI's reach and public exposure have expanded significantly.

Sam Altman emphasized the urgency of the role, noting that the person hired will "jump into the deep end pretty much immediately." It could be surmised that Altman is aware of its importance since more AI firms are already experiencing increasing scrutiny.

OpenAI's Lawsuits

Legal challenges have heightened the importance of preparedness. OpenAI currently faces multiple copyright lawsuits from major publishers alleging that its AI models were trained on protected content without permission.

More concerning are recent wrongful death claims. Several families allege that interactions with ChatGPT contributed to tragic outcomes, including cases involving suicide and violent delusions.