OpenAI · Safety and security · Companies and people
Three safety researchers fired by OpenAI say in an open letter to the company’s safety bodies that their dismissals are silencing colleagues
Tomek Korbak, Jasmine Wang and Mikita Balesni, safety researchers fired by OpenAI the week before, published a four-page open letter on October 8 titled “OpenAI cannot make AI safe on its own.” Addressed to three of the company’s safety oversight bodies, the letter denies that the three were the source of a leak to The Information or acted outside their job mandates, and says their firing has made former colleagues “afraid to speak.”
The letter makes three recommendations: honor the commitment to embed third-party safety auditors, preserve the monitorability of frontier models and keep an open dialogue with outside safety organizations. In a statement on X on October 9, OpenAI said its investigation found “a significant breach of trust beyond what’s outlined in the letter,” that it stands by the decision and that the firings were not about raising safety concerns. It also said it is finalizing contracts with third-party safety assessors. It has not detailed the alleged violations.
Sources
- Mikita Balesni (mikitabalesni.com), “OpenAI cannot make AI safe on its own”, the three researchers' open letter (PDF, undated) (mikitabalesni.com)
- TechCrunch, “Fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute misconduct claims, warn of chilling effect”, letter published Thursday, October 8; OpenAI internal memo and spokesperson response, (techcrunch.com)
- Newsweek, “Trio of Workers Fired by OpenAI: Read Their Warning Letter in Full”, excerpts from OpenAI's October 9 statement, (newsweek.com)
- Reuters (TimesLIVE), “OpenAI fires three researchers over sensitive information breach”, OpenAI's statement on X; Reuters story via TimesLIVE, (timeslive.co.za)
- AP (NY1), “OpenAI fires 3 safety researchers in dispute over AI risks”, AP story via NY1, (ny1.com)
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Short link: thejarrus.com/en/fired-researchers-letter
This story in Turkish: OpenAI’dan kovulan üç güvenlik araştırmacısı, açık mektupta kovulmalarının çalışanları susturduğunu söyledi
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