Beth Barnes' nonprofit METR is partnering with major AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to develop safety tests for advanced AI systems, a move echoed by government initiatives. The focus is on assessing risks such as AI autonomy and self-replication, though there's acknowledgment that safety evaluations are still in early stages and cannot guarantee AI safety. METR's work is seen as pragmatic, despite concerns that current tests may not be sufficiently reliable to justify the rapid advancement of AI technologies.