The OpenAI board member who fired Sam Altman says we still can’t trust AI CEOs
Today, I’m talking with Helen Toner, the executive director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University. This episode is part two of our series on AI in real life. Helen is a well-known figure in the AI safety and policy community, though she is perhaps best known for having served on […]
Helen Toner, executive director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, served on OpenAI's board during the incident known as "the blip," where she and three other board members voted to fire Sam Altman as CEO. This led to Altman's return as CEO, Toner's resignation, and a complete restructuring of OpenAI.
OpenAI's nonprofit board was established to ensure the company did not prioritize profit over safety, but when the board attempted to enforce this accountability mechanism, it failed. Toner discusses the current state of AI safety, the challenges faced by AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, and the need for smarter approaches to AI regulation, including how to address the influence of China in the AI landscape.
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