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by Adam Dell
SAN FRANCISCO (WSYX) — A recent job posting from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman offers a revealing glimpse into how the artificial intelligence industry is beginning to confront the risks of its own technology, particularly its growing impact on users’ mental health.
In a post shared on social media, Altman announced that OpenAI is hiring a Head of Preparedness, a senior role tasked with anticipating and mitigating the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems. The position comes with a salary listed at more than $550,000 annually, plus equity.
Altman described the role as demanding and fast-moving, warning that the person hired would need to quickly engage with difficult and emerging challenges. Among those challenges, he explicitly cited concerns about mental-health effects, a notable acknowledgment from a leading figure in the AI industry.
The reference reflects a broader shift in how technology companies are thinking about AI’s influence on human behavior and emotional well-being.
As conversational AI tools become more embedded in everyday life, researchers and advocates have raised alarms about over-reliance, emotional attachment, and the potential for AI systems to reinforce harmful thoughts or behaviors.
OpenAI has faced growing scrutiny in recent years as lawsuits and reports have linked chatbot interactions to psychological distress, including cases involving self-harm. While the company has emphasized safeguards and user protections, Altman’s job posting suggests those concerns are now being treated as core safety issues rather than secondary side effects.
The Head of Preparedness role is also expected to address other high-risk areas, including cybersecurity threats, misuse of AI systems, and the challenges posed by increasingly autonomous models.
As AI tools continue to expand into education, healthcare, work and personal life, the approach taken by companies like OpenAI could shape future regulation, public trust and expectations around how artificial intelligence should behave in society.
In December, President Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence that curtails state regulation, prioritizing a “minimally burdensome” federal approach.
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