OpenAI Coordinates With Anthropic and Google DeepMind on AI Safety

TradingKey - OpenAI is advancing AI safety measures alongside its main competitors, Anthropic and Google's (GOOGL) DeepMind, further escalating industry-wide coordination in response to concerns that AI could pose economic and security threats.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI's head of global policy, said at a briefing in Washington on Tuesday that the company's engagements with Anthropic and Google have been ongoing for several weeks. He also stated that OpenAI believes coordination among the three companies on safety issues does not require an antitrust exemption.

"It is best to work together and put safety first," Lehane said, citing the commercial aviation industry as an example where companies aiding each other to improve safety has long had precedent.

The intensified discussions come after Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei published an essay of about 3,800 words last Saturday, calling for a slowdown in the development of the most advanced AI systems to give researchers more time to understand potential threats. The proposal subsequently gained support from OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and SpaceX AI head Elon Musk. Spokespersons for Anthropic and Google DeepMind have not yet commented on reports of coordination among the three companies.

Lehane's trip to Washington was to meet with lawmakers. He stated that OpenAI is willing to support bipartisan legislative plans aimed at preventing potential catastrophic AI risks, saying, "Whatever can get it passed, we support." He noted that the company's preferred path includes establishing a federal AI governance framework, while also remaining open to relevant proposals taking shape in the Senate.

Regarding whether safety coordination requires legal exemptions, legislative initiatives are already underway: one proposal would provide AI companies with a narrow antitrust exemption, allowing them to share information on loss-of-control risks, cyber or biological threats, and data leaks. The provision has been incorporated into the annual defense bill.