OpenAI Foundation Appoints Paul Christiano to Security Committee

The OpenAI Foundation has appointed Paul Christiano to its security oversight bodies, with a position as an observer at OpenAI Group PBC and a seat on the Safety and Security Committee. This decision comes amid a governance restructuring that began in 2025 and is linked to reviews by the authorities in California and Delaware.

A Reformed Governance in 2025 and an Expanded Committee

The appointment is part of the structure established during the recapitalization in October 2025. Reviews conducted over the past year by the attorneys general of California and Delaware resulted in commitments that, according to the Foundation, have helped strengthen the governance framework. The Foundation holds control of OpenAI Group PBC, and the Safety and Security Committee reports to its board of directors. This committee is responsible for overseeing safety and security measures across all OpenAI entities, including OpenAI Group PBC.

Observer on the Board of OpenAI Group PBC and Member of the Safety and Security Committee

Paul Christiano has been appointed to the board of the OpenAI Foundation. He will also serve as a non-voting observer on the board of OpenAI Group PBC. He will join the Foundation's Safety and Security Committee, alongside its chair, Zico Kolter.

Technical Background at NIST, ARC, and OpenAI

At the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at NIST, where he serves as Senior Tech Advisor, and previously at the U.S. AI Safety Institute, Paul Christiano has worked on evaluating cutting-edge AI models and on approaches to mitigate associated security and safety risks. He founded the Alignment Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aligning advanced AI systems with human interests. At OpenAI, he led alignment research from 2017 to 2021 and contributed to foundational work on RLHF.

Statements on Risks, Alignment, and Oversight

Bret Taylor, chair of the OpenAI Foundation and the boards of OpenAI Group PBC, believes that Paul Christiano has helped define the field of AI alignment and that his experience in security, government standards, and technical judgment will enhance the board's oversight and the committee's work. Paul Christiano considers that AI capabilities have progressed very rapidly over the past year, that alignment remains a challenging technical problem, and that the committee's responsibility is more important and complex than ever; he expresses his readiness to help. The Foundation presents AI as entering a new era requiring robust safeguards and describes Paul’s perspective as taking potentially catastrophic risks seriously, while also characterizing him as an independent voice on the adequacy of industry safeguards. It asserts that its governance benefits from integrating profiles capable of challenging dominant assumptions. It adds that Paul brings a technically grounded perspective to its decisions and reminds that its mission is for AGI to benefit all of humanity.

Role and Means of the OpenAI Foundation

The OpenAI Foundation, a charitable organization with the mission of ensuring that advancements in AI benefit the entire population, conducts its own activities while exercising control and holding a significant stake in OpenAI Group PBC. It supports projects aimed at promoting scientific research, supporting civil society, and enhancing resilience through responsible AI. Through funding, collaborations, and other philanthropic actions, it seeks to ensure a sustainable public impact and to increase access to the capabilities offered by AI.