Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities in cybersecurity, but it is also making digital threats more sophisticated. As attackers explore AI tools to identify vulnerabilities and develop new attack methods, technology companies are increasingly investing in stronger defensive capabilities.
In a move to strengthen its security infrastructure, OpenAI has partnered with cybersecurity research firm Cathedral. The collaboration will bring external security expertise together with OpenAI's advanced AI models to identify vulnerabilities, test existing protections and improve its cyber defence systems.
OpenAI and Cathedral Join Forces on Security Testing
Under the partnership, Cathedral's researchers will work alongside OpenAI teams as part of an upcoming internal security sprint. They will use OpenAI's AI models to investigate security weaknesses, evaluate existing safeguards and identify ways to address potential threats.
The collaboration reflects the importance of combining advanced AI capabilities with specialist cybersecurity knowledge. Rather than relying exclusively on internal security teams, OpenAI is bringing external researchers into the process to strengthen vulnerability discovery and assessment.
Gavin Kliger, CEO and co-founder of Cathedral, highlighted the value of combining AI capabilities with independent security expertise to continuously test and improve digital defences.
Bug Bounty Rewards Increased to Encourage Researchers
Alongside the partnership, OpenAI is expanding its Security Bug Bounty programme. The company is increasing rewards for identifying critical vulnerabilities by more than four times.
The move is intended to encourage security researchers to examine OpenAI's systems, identify weaknesses and report potential security gaps.
Bug bounty programmes play an important role in cybersecurity by allowing independent researchers to identify vulnerabilities that internal teams may overlook. Higher rewards can help attract more specialised expertise and encourage responsible vulnerability disclosure.
Building on Earlier Security Initiatives
The latest initiative builds on OpenAI's previous security sprint, during which the company allocated 25% of its product engineers to identifying and fixing vulnerabilities across its systems.
During that effort, engineers used Codex to investigate security findings, reproduce vulnerabilities in isolated environments and prepare patches for review.
OpenAI has also expanded monitoring of its advanced models across training, evaluations, internal use and selected external deployments to identify potential security risks.
Separately, its Daybreak initiative is extending access to advanced cybersecurity models for trusted security professionals. The company has committed $1 billion in subsidised access over six months to support organisations protecting essential services and digital infrastructure.
Why AI-Powered Cyber Defence Matters
As AI systems become more capable, cybersecurity teams face increasing pressure to identify and address threats quickly. AI can support vulnerability discovery, security analysis and remediation, helping defenders respond to weaknesses before attackers exploit them.
However, deploying AI in security operations also requires careful oversight. Human expertise, controlled testing environments and continuous monitoring remain important to ensure that advanced capabilities are used responsibly.
OpenAI's partnership with Cathedral signals a broader shift towards collaborative cybersecurity, where AI developers and specialist security researchers work together to strengthen digital protection.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, combining advanced AI models with independent security expertise could become an increasingly important part of protecting software, enterprise systems and critical infrastructure.
