OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind discuss AI safety

OpenAI has been working with Anthropic and Google DeepMind on artificial intelligence safety for several weeks, according to Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s global policy chief.

Lehane told reporters on Tuesday that the companies have discussed safety issues as the industry faces warnings about catastrophic risks from frontier AI. His comments confirm earlier reporting and follow an essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, published Saturday, that urged AI companies to work together to slow the development of frontier systems when necessary.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google’s Demis Hassabis and SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk have supported Amodei’s call to action. Altman has also said OpenAI would join Anthropic in using third-party evaluators to monitor safety. However, Altman and others have noted that coordination among competing companies could create antitrust concerns if it were found to suppress competition.

Amodei proposed a narrow government waiver for safety coordination, but Lehane reportedly said the companies do not need one. The Information has also reported that the three firms are working on an industry standards body. Hassabis called for a similar body in July.

President Trump has dismissed AI safety concerns and opposed tighter regulation, arguing that slowing development could give China an advantage. At the same meeting, Lehane said OpenAI supports the FRONTIER Act, which would require leading frontier labs to admit independent verification organizations to assess whether models are developed safely.