OpenAI, Anthropic, Google have been in talks on AI safety for weeks
TechCrunch • • business
Key Points:
- OpenAI’s global policy chief, Chris Lehane, revealed that OpenAI has been collaborating with rivals Anthropic and Google DeepMind on AI safety for several weeks, amid growing industry concerns about catastrophic AI risks.
- This collaboration follows Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent essay urging the AI industry to slow the development of frontier AI and work together to mitigate risks, a call supported by major AI leaders including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Demis Hassabis.
- While some industry figures have expressed concerns that such coordination could violate antitrust laws, Lehane stated that the companies do not believe a government waiver is necessary for their safety discussions.
- The companies are reportedly working towards creating an industry standards body to monitor AI safety, a move supported by Hassabis but met with skepticism by former President Trump and his AI advisor, who downplay safety concerns and oppose regulatory slowdowns.
- OpenAI also backs provisions in the FRONTIER Act that would require leading AI labs to permit independent verification organizations to ensure safe model development.
