Leading artificial intelligence company OpenAI has confirmed that the company has officially disbanded its "Mission Alignment" team. The team's core responsibility was to ensure that AI systems remain aligned with human values in a safe and trustworthy manner.

According to official information, the original team leader Josh Achiam has been appointed to a newly created executive position—OpenAI Chief Futurist. The remaining 6 to 7 members of the original team have been reassigned to other departments within the company, continuing their research on alignment-related topics.

The "Mission Alignment" team was established in September 2024, focusing on controlled and auditability issues of AI in real-world and adversarial environments. An OpenAI spokesperson stated that this adjustment is part of the "routine restructuring" within a rapidly growing company. It is worth noting that this is the second change for such a functional team—the previously focused "Superalignment" team on long-term survival risks had already been dissolved in 2024.

In his new role, Achiam said he will focus on researching the impact of AGI and more distant future technologies on the world, and collaborate with physicists in the technical team to support the company's ultimate mission of "making AGI beneficial to all humanity."

Key Points:

  • 🔄 Organizational Reorganization: OpenAI has disbanded the dedicated team responsible for AI value alignment, redistributing its members to other departments.

  • 🔮 New Position: The former team leader Josh Achiam now serves as Chief Futurist, aiming to plan the development direction of AGI from a longer-term perspective.

  • 🛡️ Evolving Safety Strategy: This is another major adjustment in the safety architecture following the dissolution of the "Superalignment" team, reflecting the company's redefinition of safety functions during rapid expansion.