OpenAI Employees Warn of a Culture of Risk and Retaliation

A group of current and former OpenAI employees have issued a public letter warning that the company and its rivals are building artificial intelligence with undue risk, without sufficient oversight, and while muzzling employees who might witness irresponsible activities. "These risks range from the further entrenchment of existing inequalities, to manipulation and misinformation, to the loss of control of autonomous AI systems potentially resulting in human extinction," reads the letter published at righttowarn.ai. "So long as there is no effective government oversight of these corporations, current and former employees are among the few people who can hold them accountable." The letter calls for not just OpenAI but all AI companies to commit to not punishing employees who speak out about their activities. It also calls for companies to establish "verifiable" ways for workers to provide anonymous feedback on their activities.