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Nearly half of the artificial general intelligence safety researchers at OpenAI have resigned in recent months, according to a former researcher, Daniel Kokotajlo.
What Happened: OpenAI, known for its artificial intelligence assistant ChatGPT, has seen a significant number of its AGI safety staff leave. This includes notable figures like Jan Hendrik Kirchner, Collin Burns, Jeffrey Wu, and cofounder John Schulman, Fortune reported on Tuesday.
The exodus follows the May resignations of chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, who led the “superalignment” team.
Leike announced his resignation on X, citing that safety concerns had been overshadowed by product development at the San Francisco-based company.
Kokotajlo, who left OpenAI in April 2023, attributed the resignations to OpenAI’s increasing emphasis on commercial products over safety research. He also noted a “chilling effect” on those attempting to publish research on AGI risks, with more influence from the company’s communications and lobbying wings.
An OpenAI spokesperson stated the company remains committed to providing safe AI systems and engaging in rigorous debates about AI risks, according to the report.
Why It Matters: The mass exodus at OpenAI comes amid a broader debate on AI safety and regulation. Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and left in 2018, recently endorsed the SB 1047 AI safety bill in California. Musk’s support contrasts with OpenAI’s preference for federal regulation over state laws.
Adding to the turmoil, OpenAI has been criticized by former employees for its stance against California’s AI regulation bill. William Saunders and Kokotajlo wrote to Governor Gavin Newsom, warning of “catastrophic harm to society” if AI models are developed without adequate safety precautions.
In response to the growing exodus, OpenAI has appointed Irina Kofman, a former Meta Platforms Inc. executive, to drive strategy and focus on safety and preparedness. Kofman will report directly to CTO Mira Murati.
Meanwhile, California lawmakers are poised to vote on SB 1047, despite opposition from major tech companies and some Democrats. If approved, the bill will move to Governor Newsom, who must sign or veto it by the end of September.
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Image Via Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
Posted In: META
