OpenAI appoints Carnegie Mellon University professor Zico Kolter as a director

On August 8, 2024, the AI giant OpenAI announced the appointment of Zico Kolter, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, as a member of the board of directors. Zico Kolter will also join the board's Safety Committee, which was established in May this year and is responsible for evaluating the safety of OpenAI projects and operations and making recommendations to the board.

Zico Kolter is an outstanding scholar in the fields of AI and machine learning, with his research mainly focused on AI safety and alignment. He is currently a professor and the head of the Department of Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University, and has held the position for 12 years. His research mainly covers deep learning, optimization methods, and the robustness and safety of machine learning systems. In 2010, he obtained a PhD in computer science from Stanford University and then conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is worth noting that before joining OpenAI, Zico Kolter and his team once challenged the safety of large language models such as ChatGPT through simple code.

Bret Taylor, the chairman of the OpenAI board, said that Zico Kolter adds profound technical understanding and perspectives in the areas of AI safety and robustness, which will help OpenAI ensure that general-purpose AI benefits all of humanity. Zico Kolter said that he looks forward to sharing his views and expertise in AI safety and robustness to help guide the excellent work done by OpenAI.