OpenAI Recruits External Watchdogs to Police AI Risk

OpenAI is consulting with various independent assessors to broaden the pool of companies possessing expertise in frontier artificial intelligence safety, capable of conducting thorough third-party evaluations, according to a Tuesday (Sept. 22) blog post. The company detailed its key priorities and principles for effective third-party assessments to assist all frontier AI laboratories in safely developing, evaluating, and deploying models.

OpenAI expressed its dedication to supporting independent assessors and devising clearer, unified international standards for these evaluations, either through future legislation or private governance measures, in the post. This announcement followed OpenAI's suggestion the previous day that the US should spearhead an international initiative to establish global technical standards for frontier AI, including recursive self-improvement (RSI).

RSI could potentially lead to humans losing control over AI development if this fully autonomous advancement outpaces humans' capacity to comprehend it. OpenAI emphasized the urgency of determining now whether and how to proceed with this technology. The company's recent proposals came a week after Anthropic CEO and Co-Founder Dario Amodei published an essay advocating for an AI safety plan featuring independent evaluators within leading AI companies, coordination among companies in democratic nations, and a potential international agreement encompassing China.

On Friday (Sept. 18), California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order convening national experts to create a guide for the state to strengthen its laws concerning AI safety and security, aiming to expedite the implementation of new third-party oversight measures for AI systems' safety and security risks. On Saturday (Sept.

19), President Donald Trump dismissed safety concerns regarding AI voiced by industry leaders over the past month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated: "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible industry. AI is the next Industrial Revolution, or Internet, but will be even larger and more impactful, possibly as much as 25% of our Country’s GDP."