OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind Confirm Weeks-Long AI Safety Talks
Chris Lehane, OpenAI's global policy chief, told reporters on Tuesday that the company has been working with rivals Anthropic and Google DeepMind on AI safety for weeks, as first reported by Bloomberg. Lehane is reportedly in Washington to work with U.S. lawmakers on addressing catastrophic risks associated with AI.
Industry Leaders Rally Behind Amodei's Call to Slow the Frontier
The revelation follows Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's essay, published Saturday, which called for the industry to work together to slow the pace of frontier AI development and avoid catastrophic risks. AI leaders across the industry โ including OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google's Demis Hassabis, and SpaceXAI's Elon Musk โ voiced support for Amodei's letter and call to action. Altman said OpenAI would join Anthropic in embedding third-party evaluators inside the company to monitor for safety.
Coordination Raises Antitrust Questions
On Tuesday, Lehane confirmed that the three companies have been in talks for several weeks regarding AI safety. Some, including Altman, have noted that such coordination could put the companies at risk of violating antitrust law if the discussions are found to suppress competition. Amodei's essay proposed a narrow government waiver permitting such safety coordination, but Lehane reportedly said the firms do not need one.
Earlier Signals Pointed to Behind-the-Scenes Collaboration
The news confirms earlier reporting and hints that the companies were already working together. In an interview with Fortune late last week, Altman hinted that he had been in private discussions with other AI leaders. This week, The Information reported that the three companies have been working together to create a standards body for the AI industry โ something Altman reportedly told staff would need to happen without the support of the U.S. government.
Hassabis Has Long Pushed for an AI Watchdog
Hassabis called on the U.S. in July to establish a new standards body to act as an AI watchdog, with the power to screen the world's most advanced models and coordinate industry-wide slowdowns if dangers progressed.
Trump Administration Pushes Back on Safety Concerns
President Trump, for his part, has dismissed safety concerns as a hoax and pushed back on the need for tighter regulations, saying any slowdown would give China a leg up in the race. His key AI advisor David Sacks โ a longtime investor with a personal stake in much of the industry โ echoed this, saying fears of existential risk from AI were overblown.
OpenAI Backs Third-Party Safety Assessments in the FRONTIER Act
At the same Tuesday meeting, Lehane said that OpenAI supports a provision in the FRONTIER Act that would require top frontier labs to allow "independent verification organizations" into their companies to ensure their models meet safety standards.
via TechCrunch AI