OpenAI loses robotics chief after controversial Pentagon deal
An OpenAI manager is leaving the company. She cites the hasty deal with the US Department of Defense as the reason.
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OpenAI's head of robotics, Caitlin Kalinowski, is leaving the company. The reason cited is the AI manufacturer's controversial deal with the Pentagon, according to the manager. OpenAI should have better addressed the associated risks beforehand, she criticizes.
OpenAI stepped in as an AI service provider for the US Department of Defense after it ended its cooperation with Anthropic. Anthropic wanted to prohibit the government from certain uses of its AI. Mass surveillance of US citizens and the use in autonomous weapon systems were to be contractually excluded.
Criticism of hasty deal
Kalinowski also mentions precisely these two points in her statement on X. The surveillance of US citizens without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are issues that deserved more consideration than they received, Kalinowski writes. For her, the problem is that the announcement was made hastily without defining the safety guardrails beforehand. This is primarily a problem of corporate management. Kalinowski joined OpenAI at the end of 2024, having previously led hardware development for augmented reality at Meta.
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OpenAI told the Reuters news agency on Saturday once again about its own "red lines" that exclude the use of its technology for domestic surveillance or for autonomous weapons. "We recognize that people have strong opinions on these topics, and we will continue to engage with employees, governments, civil society, and communities around the world," the company said in a statement.
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