OpenAI announced on 8 August 2024 that Zico Kolter, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and director of its Machine Learning Department, has joined the company's board of directors [source].

Kolter's appointment follows OpenAI's May 2024 commitment to strengthen board oversight after the November 2023 governance crisis that saw CEO Sam Altman briefly removed and reinstated. The company stated it would add directors with expertise in AI safety and technical governance.

Kolter's research focuses on adversarial machine learning, AI safety, and robust optimization. He co-founded Boreal AI, a startup developing tools to verify neural network behaviour, and has published extensively on techniques to prevent models from producing harmful or unreliable outputs when subjected to adversarial inputs.

OpenAI's announcement emphasized Kolter's technical credentials and his work on AI alignment challenges. The board now includes nine members, up from three in late 2023. Other recent additions include former NSA director Paul Nakasone and former Sony general counsel Nicole Seligman.

The appointment comes as OpenAI faces ongoing scrutiny over safety practices. In May 2024, the company dissolved its Superalignment team after co-leads Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike departed, with Leike publicly stating he had disagreed with leadership over safety priorities. OpenAI subsequently announced a new Safety and Security Committee, initially chaired by Sam Altman himself, drawing criticism from researchers who questioned whether the committee could provide independent oversight.

Kolter will serve on OpenAI's board alongside chair Bret Taylor, Altman, and other directors. The company did not specify whether Kolter would join any board committees focused on safety or model evaluation.