The departure of Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike from OpenAI’s “superalignment” team this week raises questions about CEO Sam Altman’s commitment to responsible AI development. Leike’s parting statement accused the company of putting “shiny products” before safety protocols. This adds to a growing list of high-profile shake-ups at the company following a narrowly-avoided boardroom coup in November 2023. Since then, critical members of the superalignment team, including Daniel Kokotajlo, Leopold Aschenbrenner, Pavel Izmailov, Cullen O’Keefe, and William Saunders, have left the company
This ongoing drama has led some to suspect safety and alignment initiatives at OpenAI are failing. The company, founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman, had transitioned from a non-profit research lab into a “capped profit” entity in 2019, raising concerns over a focus on commercialization over transparency. OpenAI has faced further allegations of moving towards secrecy, threatening legal action against employees who critique or disclose company information, and making controversial agreements with defense companies.
Altman’s leadership has come under scrutiny, with his controversial tweets and apparant personal pursuit of the company’s vision creating concern among observers. In the face of this, conversations about Altman and OpenAI are becoming increasingly critical. The secrecy and controversial actions of OpenAI have led to a sense of distrust and fear of the implications of AGI development.
Tech companies have been known for using moral licensing – invoking the language of progress and social good while engaging in questionable practices. OpenAI’s mission to develop AGI “for the benefit of all humanity” risks falling into this trap. Their vision of a technology that would solve some of the world’s greatest challenges and create unprecedented prosperity could lead to ethically compromising decisions in the pursuit of this vision.
The concern is that if OpenAI misjudges the development of AGI and crashes like the myth of Icharus, society could fall with it. In response, critics suggest robust governance, continuous dialogue, and sustained pressure. As the controversy grows, Altman’s position as CEO might be in jeopardy. If he were ousted, all we could do is hope for a positive change for the better.
