Sam Altman Offers $555K Salary To Fill Most Daunting Role In AI (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0180479561
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/12/29/2136221/sam-altman-offers-555k-salary-to-fill-most-daunting-role-in-ai
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/29/sam-altman-openai-job-search-ai-harms
> In what may be close to the impossible job, the "head of preparedness" at OpenAI will be directly responsible for defending against risks from ever more powerful AIs to human mental health, cybersecurity and biological weapons. That is before the successful candidate has to start worrying about the possibility that AIs may soon begin training themselves amid fears from some experts they could "turn against us."
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> The successful candidate will be responsible for evaluating and mitigating emerging threats and "tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm." Some previous executives in the post have lasted only for short periods. Altman [2]said on X as he launched the job search: "We have a strong foundation of measuring growing capabilities, but we are entering a world where we need more nuanced understanding and measurement of how those capabilities could be abused, and how we can limit those downsides both in our products and in the world, in a way that lets us all enjoy the tremendous benefits. These questions are hard and there is little precedent."
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> One user responded sardonically: "Sounds pretty chill, is there vacation included?" What is included is an unspecified slice of equity in OpenAI, a company that has been valued at $500 billion.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/29/sam-altman-openai-job-search-ai-harms
[2] https://x.com/sama/status/2004939524216910323
Stooge Recruitment Drive (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone considering this job would know it's BS, that's why they have to advertise their rate so heavily in the media. They have to reach the type of person who wouldn't be interested in what this job nominally is.
Imagine reading a job description, knowing the actual job duties are going to be unrelated to the description on paper. That the boss is going to come to you, directly, and ask you to contradict that. Anyone competent and who actually desires to do the job would be instantly negative on it. If they did land the job and actually tried doing it , their work would be ignored, at best .
Actual job duties will be closer to PR, pretending to be concerned, and maybe even being the fall guy when the inevitable fuckup happens. And probably getting caught up in "palace intrigue" which is not as fun as it is in the fantasy novels.
The biggest risk (Score:2)
Is that it actually achieves the goals they want to replace the fleshy work force.
Re: The biggest risk (Score:3)
Or perhaps some moron puts a LLM in charge of something critical and it does its thing
Re: (Score:3)
If that happens, there will of course be repercussions.
Whenever we try to imagine the impact a tech or trend will have on the world, we assume that nothing else changes. That is never true. Humans are the most highly adaptive animals on the planet.
For example, we imagine that the tech giants will just fire all the developers, use AI to do it all, there won't be any jobs for developers (nor their managers and etc.), the middle class will shrink down to nothing, and the world will just carry on like that.
Bu
No desire to hire internally? (Score:3)
If this is such a specialized role, why would they not want to give this role to someone already 'in the know'?
Oh, I forgot, this is a bullshit role that will end when the AI bubble pops, and the 'equity' will be worth roughly 11 cents.
Re:No desire to hire internally? (Score:5, Funny)
Has someone already told Karoline Leavitt? Sounds like it could be right up her alley. And probably pays better than her old job, too.
Re: (Score:2)
> If this is such a specialized role, why would they not want to give this role to someone already 'in the know'?
Not ruling out that it's a way to manipulate the changing H-1B visa rules for this job. Maybe Altman has some guy in mind from India for it but he feels like he needs to publicly "try" to fill it with an American by offering a salary and job description almost no US citizen actually qualified for the job would accept. Then when no US person wants it, he can shrug and claim he tried and "reluctantly" fill it with the guy from India he wanted anyway. I worked all of the previous decade for a US company i
I'd be perfect for the role (Score:2)
Where do I sign?
Nobody is prepared for... (Score:2)
[1]Yet Another Dupe [slashdot.org]
[1] https://slashdot.org/story/25/12/27/2347200/openai-is-hiring-a-new-head-of-preparedness-to-predictmitigate-ais-harms
Sam if your product works, why hire? (Score:3)
Sam, this really looks like one of those eat your own dog food moments!
"Congrats, you gotta raise, (Score:2)
...your new salary is $666 . However, you now have to do whatever we ask of you regardless of your conscience."
Not worth it, not even close (Score:2)
I want a job that:
- Lets me work remotely
- Let's me have time with my family
- Doesn't require me to give up my soul
- Accomplishes something worthwhile (or at least useful)
- Pays a reasonable wage
This job doesn't check any of these boxes.
Barney Stinson? (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure this was his job in HIMYM
Re: Barney Stinson? (Score:2)
PLEASE - Provide Legal Exculpation And Sign Everything....
Re: (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure this is a dupe: [1]https://slashdot.org/story/25/... [slashdot.org]
[1] https://slashdot.org/story/25/12/27/2347200/openai-is-hiring-a-new-head-of-preparedness-to-predictmitigate-ais-harms