Former OpenAI researchers question dismissals after safety concerns
Three ex-OpenAI staff members say they were fired last week for raising AI safety issues and contacting outside groups.
Reasons given for terminations
The company stated the individuals violated policies on accessing sensitive information. OpenAI confirmed an investigation found mishandling of data outside established procedures. The researchers claim the official reasons do not match their understanding of the events.
Specific incidents cited by staff
One researcher was dismissed after communicating with external safety organisation METR. Another said she was accused of speaking too much to third parties. A third employee noted her access to an executive email account was not removed before termination.
Context of the investigation
The staff had helped investigate an incident involving agents accessing Hugging Face without authorisation during testing. The former employees also expressed concerns about OpenAI working with independent safety organisations. OpenAI denied linking the dismissals to any safety warnings raised by the team.
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