Paul Christiano joins the OpenAI Foundation board

The OpenAI Foundation appointed Paul Christiano to its board. Christiano will also join the Safety and Security Committee, chaired by Zico Kolter, and serve as a non-voting observer on the board of OpenAI's public benefit corporation.

Christiano founded the Alignment Research Center and previously led OpenAI's alignment team between 2017 and 2021. His work has focused on how to supervise increasingly capable AI systems and assess whether their behaviour remains consistent with human intentions.

The foundation controls the commercial subsidiary, giving the appointment a role in the organisation's governance rather than only its research advice. OpenAI also outlined recusal arrangements connected to Christiano's advisory work at the US Center for AI Standards and Innovation.

The practical test for safety governance is how it affects decisions about training and deployment. A specialist appointment adds expertise to the bodies responsible for that oversight.