OpenAI ’s first human rights and responsible deployment lead, Sarah Yager, has said she loses sleep over how militaries could use artificial intelligence in warfare, including targeting decisions and autonomous weapons, even as she works inside the company on defence-related AI deployments. Speaking at the ScaleUp:AI conference in New York, Yager said concerns about military adoption of AI remain one of the most pressing issues facing the technology industry, according to a report by Fortune. “Everyone is very worried and rightly so,” Yager said.
“This keeps me up at night: ‘What is the military going to do with AI when it comes to targeting? And what about autonomous weapons? And where is all of this going?’”
Because she enjoys persuading and debating people, in settings where human rights are not necessarily the dominant idea, she added that it is a comfortable place for her. OpenAI approached Yager shortly after it signed a contract with the Department of War in late February to deploy advanced AI systems in classified environments.
Yager said taking the job was not “an immediate yes. She worried that OpenAI might be hiring her as a “branding exercise,” as the on-stage interviewer put it, with no real influence over the technology. She said she spoke with employees, particularly younger ones who worry about what they are building and who is in charge, and decided to take the role to see whether she could make a difference. “With apologies to my OpenAI colleagues, I am now in the belly of the beast,” she said. Fortune noted that the U.S. military nearly targeted a Chinese military ship based on an inaccurate, AI-generated intelligence report, according to CNN reporting last month.
Yager joined OpenAI in June as its first human rights and responsible deployment lead, a role created shortly after the company secured a major contract with the Pentagon to deploy advanced AI systems in classified environments. Her appointment came amid growing scrutiny of how leading AI firms are working with defence agencies as militaries worldwide increasingly integrate AI into weapons systems, drones and battlefield operations. The deal followed a public falling out between the department and Anthropic. Anthropic had wanted guardrails on how the military could use its technology, specifically bans on mass public surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The department refused and labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk. OpenAI then took the contract, saying it had persuaded the department to agree to similar guardrails. She also has concerns.