The whistleblowers’ letter comes amid concerns that OpenAI, which started as a nonprofit with an altruistic mission, is prioritizing profit over safety in creating its technology. The company has been accused of rushing out its latest AI model to meet a set release date, despite employee concerns about the company’s failure to adhere to its own security testing protocol. The SEC has been urged to take “swift and aggressive” steps to address these alleged illegal agreements, as they could be relevant to the wider AI sector and potentially violate a White House executive order demanding safe development of AI technology.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI whistleblowers have filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging that the company illegally prohibited its employees from warning regulators about the potential risks its technology may pose to humanity.
- The complaint states that OpenAI issued overly restrictive employment, severance and nondisclosure agreements that could have led to penalties against workers who raised concerns about the company to federal regulators.
- The whistleblowers also claim that OpenAI made staff sign agreements that required them to waive their federal rights to whistleblower compensation and to get prior consent from the company if they wished to disclose information to federal authorities.
- The whistleblowers' letter comes amid concerns that OpenAI, which started as a nonprofit with an altruistic mission, is putting profit before safety in creating its technology.