The OpenAI Foundation has appointed AI researcher Paul Christiano to its board, adding a prominent voice on AI alignment and safety to the organisation’s governance structure.
Christiano will also serve as a non-voting observer on the OpenAI Group PBC Board and join the Foundation’s Safety and Security Committee, which oversees safety and security practices across OpenAI, including OpenAI Group PBC.
Christiano previously led alignment research at OpenAI from 2017 to 2021 and contributed to early work on reinforcement learning from human feedback, commonly known as RLHF. He is also the founder of the nonprofit Alignment Research Center, which focuses on ensuring advanced AI systems remain aligned with human interests.
He currently serves as a senior technical adviser at the Center for AI Standards and Innovation within the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, where his work includes evaluating frontier AI models and studying safety and security risks.
OpenAI said Christiano’s appointment is intended to strengthen independent technical oversight as AI systems become more capable and as questions around alignment, safety and governance become more important.
The Foundation said his experience across government, nonprofit research and AI development brings a perspective that can help challenge assumptions and strengthen safeguards around advanced AI systems.
The appointment also reflects the broader role of the OpenAI Foundation as a charitable organisation focused on ensuring AI delivers public benefit. The Foundation supports work in areas including scientific discovery, civil society and responsible AI, while maintaining control of OpenAI Group PBC.
For the wider social-impact sector, the development highlights the growing importance of governance and accountability as powerful AI systems become increasingly embedded in education, healthcare, public services and other areas of society.
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