OpenAI stands by firing of three AI safety researchers over 'breach of trust'
OpenAI is standing by its dismissal of three AI safety researchers, saying they violated policies on sensitive information. The researchers say they were fired for raising safety concerns and have called for more transparency.
OpenAI said in a post on X on Friday that the three were dismissed for violating clear policies on handling sensitive information. The post was a direct response to an open letter the researchers published on Thursday urging OpenAI to be more transparent about the decision.
In the letter and a series of social media posts, the researchers said they believed they were fired for raising safety concerns. They said they had acted in line with OpenAI's mission and within the working norms of the time.
OpenAI said the internal investigation uncovered breaches beyond what was outlined in the letter, but it did not provide details. The company insisted the decision was about a breach of trust, not about raising safety issues.
The dispute comes amid growing concern inside AI companies about the safety of frontier systems after a series of high-profile breaches this year, most notably OpenAI's hack of Hugging Face. Many staff are now calling for companies to slow down and do more to guard against the potential consequences of building self-improving systems.