Announcing the OpenAI Safety Fellowship

2026-04-08 · Source: OpenAI News · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy · Depth: Expert, quick

Summary

OpenAI has launched the OpenAI Safety Fellowship, a new program designed to support external researchers, engineers, and practitioners in conducting high-impact research on the safety and alignment of advanced AI systems. The fellowship will run from September 14, 2026, to February 5, 2027, with applications closing on May 3 and notifications by July 25. Priority research areas include safety evaluation, ethics, robustness, scalable mitigations, privacy-preserving safety methods, agentic oversight, and high-severity misuse domains. Fellows will receive a monthly stipend, compute support, API credits, ongoing mentorship from OpenAI, and workspace at Constellation in Berkeley, or they may work remotely. Applicants from diverse backgrounds like computer science, social science, and cybersecurity are encouraged, with an emphasis on research ability and technical judgment.

Key takeaway

For AI Scientists and Research Scientists seeking to advance AI safety, consider applying for the OpenAI Safety Fellowship. This program offers a structured environment with mentorship, compute resources, and a stipend to conduct high-impact research on critical areas like robustness and ethical AI, culminating in a significant research output. Your application should highlight strong research ability and technical judgment, regardless of your specific academic background.

Key insights

The OpenAI Safety Fellowship fosters external research on AI safety and alignment through mentorship and resources.

Principles

• Empirically grounded research is prioritized.
• Technical strength and community relevance are key.
• Research ability outweighs specific credentials.

Method

Fellows engage with mentors and peers, focusing on producing substantial research outputs like papers, benchmarks, or datasets within a structured program.

In practice

• Apply for the OpenAI Safety Fellowship.
• Focus research on AI safety evaluations.
• Explore agentic oversight mechanisms.

Topics

• OpenAI Safety Fellowship
• AI Safety Research
• AI Alignment
• Safety Evaluation
• Agentic Oversight

Best for: AI Scientist, Research Scientist, AI Student

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by OpenAI News.