Helen Toner

Quick Assessment

Personal Details

Overview

Helen Toner is an Australian AI governance researcher who became one of the most prominent figures in AI policy after her role in the November 2023 removal of Sam Altman as OpenAI's CEO. She serves as Interim Executive Director of Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging TechnologyOrganizationCSET (Center for Security and Emerging Technology)CSET is a $100M+ Georgetown center with 50+ staff conducting data-driven AI policy research, particularly on U.S.-China competition and export controls. The center conducts hundreds of annual gover...Quality: 43/100 (CSET), a think tank she helped establish in 2019 with $55 million in funding from Coefficient Giving (then Coefficient GivingOrganizationOpen PhilanthropyOpen Philanthropy rebranded to Coefficient Giving in November 2025. See the Coefficient Giving page for current information.).

Her career trajectory represents one of the most successful examples of effective altruism's strategy of placing safety-focused individuals in positions of influence over AI development. From leading a student effective altruism group in Melbourne to sitting on the board of one of the world's most powerful AI companies, Toner's path demonstrates both the opportunities and limitations of this approach.

Toner's expertise spans U.S.-China AI competition, AI safety research, and technology governance. She has testified before multiple Congressional committees, written for Foreign Affairs and The Economist, and was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024. Her work emphasizes that AI governance requires active government intervention rather than relying on industry self-regulation.

Career Timeline

Detailed Career Progression

The OpenAI Board Crisis (November 2023)

The most consequential moment of Toner's career came on November 17, 2023, when she and three other OpenAI board members voted to remove Sam Altman as CEO. The five-day crisis that followed revealed deep tensions between AI safety governance and commercial AI development.

Timeline of Events

Board's Stated Reasons

The board's official statement said Altman had "not been consistently candid in his communications." In her May 2024 TED AI Show interview, Toner provided more detailed allegations:

The 52-Page Memo

In October 2025, Ilya Sutskever's deposition in the Musk v. Altman lawsuit revealed additional details:

• Sutskever prepared a 52-page memo for independent board members (Toner, McCauley, D'Angelo) weeks before the removal
• The memo stated: "Sam exhibits a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs, and pitting his execs against one another"
• "Most or all" supporting material came from OpenAI CTO Mira Murati
• Altman was not shown the memo because Sutskever "felt that, had he become aware of these discussions, he would just find a way to make them disappear"

Proposed Anthropic Merger

One of the most striking revelations was that within 48 hours of Altman's firing, discussions were underway to potentially merge OpenAI with Anthropic:

Aftermath and Legacy

Research and Publications

CSET Research Focus Areas

Toner's research at CSET spans three primary domains:

Key Publications and Media

AI Safety Research Contributions

Toner has authored or contributed to multiple papers examining AI safety:

She has stated: "Building AI systems that are safe, reliable, fair, and interpretable is an enormous open problem. Research into these areas has grown over the past few years, but still only makes up a fraction of the total effort poured into building and deploying AI systems."

Citation Impact

According to Google Scholar, Toner's research has been cited over 3,286 times, indicating significant academic influence in the AI governance field.

Congressional Testimony

Toner has testified before multiple Congressional committees on AI policy and U.S.-China competition.

Key Testimony Summary

Policy Recommendations

Based on her testimony and public statements, Toner advocates for:

Views on AI Risk and Governance

Position on AI Existential Risk

Toner takes a nuanced position on AI existential risk:

Framework for AI Governance

Based on her TED2024 talk and public statements:

On China Competition Concerns

In her Foreign Affairs article "The Illusion of China's AI Prowess," Toner argued:

Connection to Effective Altruism

EA Movement Involvement

EA Philosophy in Practice

Toner's career exemplifies the EA approach of:

• Career capital building: Gaining expertise and credentials in a high-impact area
• Institutional leverage: Positioning within influential organizations (OpenAI board, CSET)
• Longtermism: Focus on AI risk as a priority concern for humanity's future
• Impact-focused grantmaking: Recommending grants while at Coefficient Giving ($1.5M to UCLA for AI governance fellowship, $260K to CNAS for advanced technology risk research)

Key Grant Recommendations at Coefficient Giving

EA as a Career Path Case Study

Toner's trajectory from EA student organizer to influential AI governance figure represents a model the EA movement has promoted for "building career capital" in high-impact areas. Her path illustrates several key elements:

The CSET founding exemplifies the EA strategy of building institutions: Coefficient Giving (then Open Philanthropy) provided $55 million over five years specifically to create a think tank that would shape AI policy from within Washington's foreign policy establishment. Toner was positioned as Director of Strategy from the beginning, allowing her to shape the center's research agenda toward AI safety and governance concerns.

Relationship Between EA and CSET

Note: 80,000 Hours, the EA career advice organization that has featured Toner in multiple podcast episodes, is also funded by the same major donor (Coefficient Giving) that funds CSET.

Recognition and Influence

TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024)

TIME's profile noted:

"In mid-November of 2023, Helen Toner made what will likely be the most pivotal decision of her career... One outcome of the drama was that Toner, a formerly obscure expert in AI governance, now has the ear of policymakers around the world trying to regulate AI."

Other Recognition

Key Relationships

Professional Network

Critical Assessment

Strengths

Limitations and Criticisms

Open Questions

Current Work

As of September 2025, Toner serves as Interim Executive Director of Georgetown CSET, leading a research center with approximately 30 researchers focused on:

She continues to advocate for active government regulation of AI, arguing that the "laboratory of democracy" approach of trying different regulatory experiments across jurisdictions is preferable to either inaction or one-size-fits-all approaches.

CSET Under Toner's Leadership

Future Research Directions

Based on public statements, CSET under Toner's leadership is expanding focus on:

The "Artificial Intelligence and Costly Signals" Paper Controversy

In October 2023, shortly before the OpenAI board crisis, Toner co-authored a paper with Andrew Imbrie and Owen Daniels that reportedly caused tension with Sam Altman.

Paper Details

Reported Tension

According to reports, the paper contained analysis that Altman viewed as unfavorable to OpenAI or as potentially undermining the company's position. While the specific nature of the disagreement has not been fully disclosed, it illustrates the inherent tensions of having safety-focused researchers on commercial AI company boards:

Lessons from the OpenAI Board Experience

Toner's experience on the OpenAI board, while ending in resignation, offers several lessons for AI governance:

Structural Challenges

Governance Lessons

Based on Toner's public statements and the crisis outcome:

Toner's Post-Crisis Recommendations

In her September 2024 Senate testimony, Toner stated:

"This technology would be enormously consequential, potentially extremely dangerous, and should only be developed with careful forethought and oversight."

She has advocated for:

Comparative Analysis: Toner vs. Other AI Safety Figures

Background Comparison

Approach Comparison

Influence Mechanisms

Public Communication and Media Presence

Major Podcast Appearances

Writing Venues

Social Media Presence

Toner maintains active presence on X (formerly Twitter) at @hlntnr, where she shares research, responds to coverage, and occasionally disputes inaccurate reporting about her role in the OpenAI crisis.

Beijing Experience and China Expertise

Nine Months in Beijing (2018)

China Research Focus Areas

Implications for U.S. Policy

Toner's China expertise shapes her policy recommendations:

Sources and References

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Related Profiles

• Holden Karnofsky - Former Coefficient Giving co-CEO who invited Toner to OpenAI board
• Ilya Sutskever - OpenAI co-founder and board member who co-voted to remove Altman
• Sam Altman - OpenAI CEO removed and reinstated in November 2023
• Dario Amodei - Anthropic CEO; Anthropic was discussed as potential merger partner

Academic Sources

Additional News Coverage

Timeline Summary

Key Quotes

On AI Safety

"Building AI systems that are safe, reliable, fair, and interpretable is an enormous open problem. Research into these areas has grown over the past few years, but still only makes up a fraction of the total effort poured into building and deploying AI systems. If we're going to end up with trustworthy AI systems, we'll need far greater investment and research progress in these areas."

On Governance

"The laboratory of democracy has always seemed pretty valuable to me. I hope that these different experiments that are being run in how to govern this technology are treated as experiments, and can be adjusted and improved along the way."

On Sam Altman

"For years, Sam had made it really difficult for the board to actually do that job by withholding information, misrepresenting things that were happening at the company, in some cases outright lying to the board."

On Destroying OpenAI

According to Sutskever's deposition testimony, when warned that OpenAI would collapse without Altman, Toner allegedly responded that destroying OpenAI "could be consistent with its safety mission." Toner has disputed this characterization.

On China Competition

"Looking at Chinese AI development, the AI regulations they are already imposing, and the macro headwinds they face leads her to conclude they are far from being poised to overtake the United States."

On Her Life's Work

"My life's work is to consult with lawmakers to help them design AI policy that is sensible and connected to the realities of the technology."