OpenAI has appointed a "chief of preparation," who will oversee AI safety.

OpenAI has appointed a new AI safety leader

In light of growing concerns about the secure use of AI, OpenAI announced a new staff member – Dylan Scandino as *Head of Preparedness* (Director of Readiness).

Who is Dylan Scandino?
Period Company Role May 2023 – February 2024 Anthropic Project Lead for AI Safety September 2022 – May 2025 DeepMind (Google) Specialist in synthetic data for training Gemini Until 2022 Palantir, Unity Technologies, Everyday Robots Various positions in machine learning and software development
Scandino is known for handling similar risk‑mitigation tasks at his previous jobs.

What the new appointment means?
* Role: A leading position in the “Readiness” team – responsible for preparing and implementing measures that allow powerful models to be developed without endangering users.
* Compensation: $550,000 per year plus OpenAI stock.
* Context: Since 2023 the company has had a “Readiness” team previously headed by Alexander Madrid, an MIT specialist.

How OpenAI’s CEO sees the situation
CEO Sam Altman noted that as model development accelerates, the company will face new and more serious risks. He emphasized:

> “We’ll be working on very powerful models. That will require appropriate precautions to ensure continued delivery of large benefits.”

Altman expressed confidence in Scandino’s competence:

*“He is the best candidate for this role among all the people I’ve ever met,”* he said.

He added that with a new leader, the team can focus on long‑term safety and “sleep more soundly.”

What is expected of Scandino?
Scandino himself admitted that rapidly evolving AI models could cause “extreme and even irreversible harm.” Therefore his task is:

* to develop risk‑minimization strategies;
* to implement safe training and deployment practices for models;
* to coordinate the entire OpenAI team’s efforts in this area.

Conclusion
OpenAI expands its safety structure by bringing in an experienced specialist from leading industry firms. The new appointment underscores the company’s commitment to responsible AI development and preparedness for future challenges.