Helen Toner wants to be the people's voice in the AI safety debate

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BY [Mark Sullivan](https://www.fastcompany.com/user/mark-sullivan)

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Helen Toner never expected a board vote to make her a household name in tech policy. But when OpenAI’s leadership crisis [spilled into public view](http://helen%20toner%20never%20expected%20a%20board%20vote%20to%20make%20her%20a%20household%20name%20in%20tech%20policy.xn--%20but%20when%20openais%20leadership%20crisis%20spilled%20into%20public%20view%20last%20year,%20her%20role%20as%20a%20director%20put%20her%20at%20the%20heart%20of%20silicon%20valleys%20most%20consequential%20fight%20over%20the%20future%20of%20artificial%20intelligence-nk09ote.%20that%20experience%20vaulted%20her%20into%20a%20rare%20position:%20someone%20trusted%20in%20both%20Washington%20and%20the%20Valley%20to%20speak%20plainly%20about%20the%20risks%20of%20AI.%20Now,%20as%20the%20new%20director%20of%20Georgetown%E2%80%99s%20Center%20for%20Emerging%20Technology%20and%20Security,%20she%E2%80%99s%20channeling%20that%20hard-earned%20credibility%20into%20shaping%20how%20the%20U.S.%20confronts%20the%20technology%E2%80%99s%20national%20security%20stakes./) in 2023, her role as a director—and as one of the [AI](https://www.fastcompany.com/section/artificial-intelligence "AI") safety community’s [prominent voices](https://www.fastcompany.com/91237841/helen-toners-openai-exit-only-made-her-a-more-powerful-force-for-responsible-ai)—put her at the heart of Silicon Valley’s most consequential fight over the future of artificial intelligence.

That experience vaulted her into a rare position: someone trusted in both Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley to speak plainly about the risks of AI. Now, as the new director of Georgetown University’s [Center for Security and Emerging Technology](https://cse

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