At an ex-OpenAI researcher's influential lab, $500,000 salaries aren't enough to fix a talent 'bottleneck'
The nonprofit lab METR, led by a former OpenAI researcher, is struggling to hire enough talent to keep up with the rapid pace of AI development. Despite offering high salaries, the lab faces a bottleneck in finding experts to evaluate AI safety and security.
Why it matters
The shortage of specialized AI safety researchers poses a significant risk to the industry's ability to control and regulate powerful new models.
METR's CEO, Beth Barnes, and president, Chris Painter. METR METR, a Berkeley lab started by an ex-OpenAI researcher, has grown into a prominent AI umpire. The nonprofit works with OpenAI, Anthropic, and governments to evaluate cutting-edge models. METR says that an AI talent shortage hinders growth in safety and security research. Beth Barnes, one of the AI industry's most influential watchdogs, has a lot to worry about. The ex-OpenAI researcher has shown that AI's capabilities are escalating by the month . Now, she fears that the industry doesn't have the staff in place to keep up with the technology in its next chapter. The biggest barrier to that research is talent, said Barnes, who left OpenAI to start the nonprofit METR in 2022.
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