OpenAI's Human Rights Lead Warns Military Use of AI in Targeting 'Keeps Me Up at Night'

OpenAI Appoints First Human Rights Lead Amid Military AI Concerns

In June, OpenAI hired Sarah Yager as its first Human Rights and Responsible Deployment Lead, a role created following the company's Pentagon contract signed in late February to deploy advanced AI systems in classified environments1

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. Speaking at the ScaleUp:AI conference in New York City on Tuesday, Yager addressed growing anxieties about the military use of AI, particularly regarding autonomous weapons and targeting systems in armed conflicts2

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. With 30 years of experience in human rights work, Yager brings critical expertise to OpenAI as militaries worldwide rapidly integrate AI into their operations, developing new autonomous systems like drones and robots.

Targeting and Autonomous Weapons Raise Alarm

"Everyone is very worried and rightly so," Yager stated at the conference. "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?'"1

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Her concerns reflect real-world risks that have already materialized. Last month, CNN reported that the U.S. military nearly targeted a Chinese military ship based on an inaccurate, AI-generated intelligence report that falsely identified cargo as linked to a nuclear weapons program1

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. One source described the report as "entirely false" and said it "almost started a war"2

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. The incident underscores the high stakes of AI in armed conflicts and the urgent need for responsible AI deployment in military contexts.

OpenAI's Pentagon Contract and Anthropic's Fallout

OpenAI approached Yager shortly after securing its Department of War contract, which came on the heels of a public falling out between the DoW and Anthropic. Anthropic had sought to implement guardrails around military AI use, specifically banning mass public surveillance and fully autonomous weapons—restrictions the Department of War refused to accept1

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. The DoW subsequently labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk, while OpenAI secured the Pentagon contract by claiming it successfully negotiated similar safeguards with the military. According to CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI's agreement includes safeguards barring mass domestic surveillance, directing autonomous weapons systems, and certain high-stakes automated decisions, with embedded engineers and technical safety measures2

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. The Pentagon is also expanding relationships with multiple AI companies, including Google Gemini for sensitive and classified projects, as it seeks to diversify its defense-AI partnerships2

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From Skepticism to Impact: Yager's Journey at OpenAI

Joining OpenAI was not "an immediate yes" for Yager, who initially suspected the role might be a "branding exercise"—a figurehead position without actual influence over technology development1

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. However, after conducting due diligence and speaking with employees, particularly younger engineers "very worried about what they are creating and who's at the wheel," she decided to accept the position1

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. "I have always wanted to go into places and persuade people where human rights was not necessarily the dominant idea," Yager explained. "With apologies to my OpenAI colleagues, I am now in the belly of the beast, and it's actually a very comfortable place for me to be because what I love to do is persuade and discuss and debate and hopefully move the needle"1

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Implementing Geneva Conventions in AI Systems

Since joining OpenAI, Yager has achieved tangible results in shaping responsible AI deployment. She has worked directly with researchers and engineers to ensure models respond appropriately to international agreements, including the laws of war established in 1949 at the post-World War II Geneva Conventions1

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. Yager brought in international experts "to literally sit at keyboards and put in prompts for really high stakes engagements," with engineers tweaking models based on responses. "That had never been done before, so that was extremely gratifying," she said1

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. She emphasized that AI companies should not reinvent fundamental ethical frameworks: "Societies have already figured out a lot of those things, and it's called human rights. That should be the baseline. I do not want an AI company telling me what is good. If we allow the industry to determine what is good, then it's a free for all"1

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AI Governance and the Future of Military Applications

Yager's work highlights critical questions about AI governance as military applications expand. She expressed concern about Silicon Valley debates over whether AI agents should have rights, a topic OpenAI raised during her interview process. While initially answering "no," she has since reconsidered the "extremely important" conversations about "where agents fit into the legal structures, the labor structures, the tax structures"—though she insists these questions are not matters of rights. "This is not at all comparable to human rights, and I would really love if we could just get back to the human of human rights," she stated, receiving applause from the audience at the ScaleUp:AI conference1

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. As classified AI deployments increase and the ethical implications of targeting systems become more urgent, Yager's role represents a critical checkpoint in ensuring human rights remain central to military AI development.