Helen Toner, the executive director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, argued that AI safety plans are fundamentally flawed if they rely on the integrity of individual executives. Toner, who served on the OpenAI board during the leadership crisis that saw Sam Altman removed and subsequently reinstated, stated that the accountability mechanisms intended to prioritize safety over profit failed during that period.
The discussion highlighted concerns regarding the current regulatory landscape, noting that recent voluntary accords from the White House rely on the same types of board oversight that proved ineffective at OpenAI. This oversight is intended to ensure frontier labs do not prioritize commercial growth at the expense of safety, a challenge exacerbated by Anthropic's upcoming transition to a public company.
Toner emphasized the danger of placing the future of AI safety in the hands of a few leaders. "If our hopes for the future depend on any one person being trustworthy, we’re in big trouble," Toner said.
CSET, which Toner leads, operates as a team within Georgetown University focused on providing rigorous, actionable analysis for policymakers regarding emerging technologies and national security. The organization employs approximately 50 people and has focused on artificial intelligence since its inception in 2019.
