OpenAI Launches Bug Bounty Program Offering Rewards of up to $20,000 to Users

On Tuesday, OpenAI, the company responsible for the popular AI language model ChatGPT, declared that it will pay users up to $20,000 for discovering security vulnerabilities in its AI systems.

OpenAI plans to initiate a bug bounty program as per its blog post, which aims to encourage security researchers, technology enthusiasts, and ethical hackers to report any bugs, security flaws, or vulnerabilities they come across in their systems, including ChatGPT and the company's APIs.

"We believe that transparency and collaboration are crucial to addressing this reality. That's why we are inviting the global community of security researchers, ethical hackers, and technology enthusiasts to help us identify and address vulnerabilities in our systems. We are excited to build on our coordinated disclosure commitments by offering incentives for qualifying vulnerability information. Your expertise and vigilance will have a direct impact on keeping our systems and users secure."

OpenAI has partnered with Bugcrowd, a leading bug bounty platform, to handle the heavy lifting of collecting user submissions and processing the estimated rewards for those submissions (more on that later). Those interested in participating in the Bug Bounty Program should visit OpenAI's Bug Bounty Program page.

OpenAI Will Offer Up to $20,000 in Rewards

OpenAI will offer incentives and rewards based on the "severity and impact of the reported issues." The rewards will range from $200 for "low-severity findings" to up to $20,000 for "exceptional discoveries."

"To incentivize testing and as a token of our appreciation, we will be offering cash rewards based on the severity and impact of the reported issues. Our rewards range from $200 for low-severity findings to up to $20,000 for exceptional discoveries. We recognize the importance of your contributions and are committed to acknowledging your efforts."

According to BugCrowd, thirteen vulnerabilities have already been rewarded as of this writing, with the average payout hovering around the $1,400 mark.