Fired OpenAI Safety Researchers Wang, Korbak and Balesni Deny Mishandling Information in Open Letter
Summary
Fired OpenAI safety researchers Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni publish an open letter denying the company's claims they mishandled sensitive information. They say the firings chill safety work. OpenAI cites a "pattern of misconduct" and a policy violation, and denies retaliation in an internal memo.
Key Points
- Wang says OpenAI told her she was fired for accessing an executive's email, access she says the company delegated to her for recruiting.
- Wang, Korbak and Balesni deny involvement in a leak to The Information about less monitorable architectures in OpenAI's newest models.
- The letter says Balesni coordinated with board members and executives, and OpenAI's memo says the company agrees with the researchers' recommendations.