OpenAI has been working with other artificial intelligence companies, including Anthropic and Google, to address AI safety concerns, a spokesperson told CNBC on Tuesday, September 15. The spokesperson revealed that discussions have been underway since Demis Hassabis, the chair of Google DeepMind, released a proposal in July calling for a U.S.-led “Standards Body”.
On X, Hassabis published an essay where he suggested establishing a public-private partnership or self-regulatory organization with federal oversight, akin to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
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OpenAI, Anthropic and Google are rivals and competitors. However, in recent months, these companies have been under pressure to address increasing AI safety and security concerns.
“It’s better to try to work together to prioritize safety,” Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said at a briefing in Washington, according to Bloomberg News.
‘We have entered a different phase of AI capabilities’
On Saturday, September 12, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI companies to slow the pace at which they improve their most advanced models. The move received appreciation from Hassabis and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
“Dario’s essay points towards the right path forward,” Hassabis wrote in a post on X. “The details need working through, but the direction is correct for meeting this critical moment.”
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Altman also agreed with Amodei on the need to pace the industry’s most advanced models. In a post on X, he wrote, “I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. This has been a primary topic of discussions we’ve had at OpenAI in recent weeks. Committing to having independent evaluators with employee-like access is a great idea, and we will do the same. We’ll have more to share soon.”
Lehane said in a blog post earlier this month that the company is working to advance “industry-led standards.” He added that OpenAI will be working with other companies to build out a voluntary effort, “with or without government support.”
″Any industry-led standards would complement — not replace — mandatory federal safeguards and democratic oversight,” Lehane said. “But we have entered a different phase of AI capabilities, and everything should be on the table — including considering what can be built voluntarily outside government as an immediate step.”
