OpenAI says three staffers fired for mishandling ‘sensitive’ info

OpenAI announced on Thursday that it had dismissed three researchers for allegedly mishandling sensitive information and violating company policies. The AI lab, based in San Francisco, did not disclose the names of the individuals but confirmed that at least two of them had worked on safety and alignment. OpenAI's statement said that the firings resulted from the employees mishandling information outside established procedures, violating policies and undermining trust in their work.

The dismissals come amid a heated discussion about AI safety and the potential existential risk posed by the technology's rapid advancement. Last month, former OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon resigned, warning that major AI labs, including OpenAI, were recklessly racing to develop increasingly powerful models. Three of the fired researchers, Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni, had recently posted about AI safety-related issues on X. Balesni expressed a 10% likelihood that AI could lead to human extinction, echoing sentiments from other AI employees.

Korbak, in particular, was vocal about his dissatisfaction with OpenAI's practices, stating his unhappiness with the company's actions. The incident follows a recent voluntary pledge by leading US tech companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to self-regulate safety in response to a meeting with President Donald Trump.