OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Mandel Ngan/AFP through Getty Photographs
A senior member of OpenAI’s robotics workforce has resigned, citing issues about how the corporate moved ahead with a lately introduced partnership with the U.S. Division of Protection.
Caitlin Kalinowski, who served as a member of technical employees centered on robotics and {hardware}, posted on social media that she had stepped down on “precept” after the corporate revealed plans to make its AI programs accessible inside safe Protection Division computing programs.
The settlement is a part of a broader push by the U.S. authorities to include superior AI instruments into nationwide safety work, a pattern that has sparked debate throughout the tech trade about oversight and acceptable makes use of.
In public posts explaining her choice, Kalinowski wrote: “I resigned from OpenAI. I care deeply concerning the Robotics workforce and the work we constructed collectively. This wasn’t a straightforward name.”
She stated coverage guardrails round sure AI makes use of weren’t sufficiently outlined earlier than OpenAI introduced an settlement with the Pentagon. “AI has an vital function in nationwide safety,” Kalinowski wrote. “However surveillance of People with out judicial oversight and deadly autonomy with out human authorization are traces that deserved extra deliberation than they acquired.”
Kalinowski additionally emphasised that her issues had been extra concerning the course of moderately than particular executives inside the corporate, saying she had “deep respect for Sam and the workforce, and I am happy with what we constructed collectively,” referring to OpenAI chief government Sam Altman.
A spokesperson for OpenAI informed NPR the corporate believes the settlement with the Pentagon “creates a workable path for accountable nationwide safety makes use of of AI whereas making clear our crimson traces: no home surveillance and no autonomous weapons.”
It continued, saying the corporate acknowledged “individuals have robust views about these points and we’ll proceed to interact in dialogue with workers, authorities, civil society and communities world wide.”
Kalinowski’s resignation comes amid heightened competitors amongst main builders of synthetic intelligence to produce know-how to the U.S. authorities. In latest weeks, federal companies have turned to OpenAI and Google for AI programs as tensions elevated with a rival agency, Anthropic, over the army use of its fashions.
Anthropic’s CEO spoke out in opposition to permitting the corporate’s software program for use for functions similar to home mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, a stance that led to clashes with protection officers — together with Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth — who stated the division wants flexibility to deploy business AI instruments in all “lawful” operations.
Inside OpenAI, Kalinowski’s function centered on constructing out the corporate’s robotics group because it scaled. She wrote on her LinkedIn profile that this included hiring to assist the corporate’s enlargement into AI efforts tied to bodily infrastructure and equipment.
Kalinowski signaled she plans to proceed working in the identical area. “I am taking a little bit time, however I stay very centered on constructing accountable bodily AI,” she wrote.
