Former OpenAI Superalignment Team Member Leopold Aschenbrenner Alleges Firing Over Security Concerns

Jun 4, 2024, 07:42 PM

Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former employee of OpenAI, has come forward with allegations that he was fired for raising security concerns to the company's board. Aschenbrenner, who was part of OpenAI's recently-disbanded Superalignment team, claims that AI labs, including OpenAI, treat security as an afterthought and are potentially compromising key secrets for AGI to foreign entities such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He shared a non-confidential document about safety ideas with external researchers, which led to his dismissal. Before his termination, OpenAI lawyers questioned his loyalty. Aschenbrenner, an Ilya ally and Emergent Ventures alumni, did not sign the SamA letter. His dismissal has sparked significant discussion and controversy within the AI community.