Former OpenAI employees say whistleblower protection on AI safety is not enough
Illustration: The Verge
Several former OpenAI employees warned in an open letter that advanced AI companies like OpenAI stifle criticism and oversight, especially as concerns over AI safety have increased in the past few months.
The open letter, signed by 13 former OpenAI employees (six of whom chose to remain anonymous) and endorsed by “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, formerly of Google, says that in the absence of any effective government oversight, AI companies should commit to open criticism principles. These principles include avoiding the creation and enforcement of non-disparagement clauses, facilitating a “verifiably” anonymous process to report issues, allowing current and former employees to raise concerns to the public, and not retaliating against...