OpenAI Faces Whistleblower Allegations Over Safety Concerns, Restrictive NDAs; SEC to Investigate

Jul 15, 2024, 11:42 AM

OpenAI is facing serious allegations from whistleblowers who claim the company has engaged in practices that suppress safety concerns regarding its AI technologies. Whistleblowers have accused OpenAI of issuing overly restrictive non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent employees from raising safety issues with regulators. These NDAs reportedly penalize whistleblowers and waive their compensation rights. Additionally, there are claims that OpenAI rushed the safety testing of its GPT-4 model, ignoring crucial safety protocols. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been urged to investigate these allegations, which include accusations that OpenAI hindered its employees from communicating with regulatory bodies. Former employees, including William Saunders and Leopold Aschenbrenner, have raised these concerns, highlighting potential risks posed by the company's AI developments. Saunders also addressed a message to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman regarding trust issues within the company.