Picture the corporate landscape, not too far in the future. There’s a new role making waves across companies, specifically in tech-oriented firms. This role is designed not primarily to propel the company forward but to cautiously scan the horizon, always on the lookout for looming threats. Among companies embracing the future of technology, this one stands out – OpenAI. The company is looking for a professional misanthrope, a head of Preparedness or in simpler terms, an ISO corporate scapegoat.
OpenAI is headed by Sam Altman, who recently announced the creation of this position. The primary mandate for this prospective employee is terrifying in its scope: to consider all the countless ways artificial intelligence could spiral out of control, leading to chilling consequences no one wants to envisage. Altman’s rationale behind this decision springs from the realization that rapid advancements in AI aren’t all sunshine and roses. Instead, they bring their fair share of ‘real challenges’.
In a technology-fueled future where AI holds the reins, these challenges could have far-reaching negative impacts on crucial aspects like cybersecurity and people’s mental health. These are but a few areas where things could go terribly wrong, making the role of Head of Preparedness a crucial one.
Mandate of the Head of Preparedness
The task pipeline for the Head of Preparedness at OpenAI isn’t a walk in the park. This role demands a person who doesn’t shrink from contemplating worst-case scenarios and hard-pressed to find effective solutions to mitigate them. Instead of pushing for groundbreaking advancements, this person’s predominant focus will be on ‘tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm.’
The individual filling this role becomes the superhero in an office chair, warding off shadowy threats that could originate from unexpected quarters. They become the last line of defense against potential disasters, tasked with ensuring that AI continues to serve humanity without morphing into a cybernetic titan.
As we plunge headlong into the AI-powered future, it becomes increasingly crucial to have safeguards against potential cataclysms. The position of a Head of Preparedness resonates with this viewpoint, acknowledging that with great power comes great responsibility. The tech industry’s future appears as a wide-open road with AI in the driver’s seat. Now OpenAI seeks to make sure that in chasing progress, we don’t go off the rails.
Credit: Original story by The Verge.
