OpenAI has dismissed three researchers for allegedly mishandling sensitive company information, including work involving an external organisation that analyses artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Confirming the dismissals to the BBC, a spokesperson for the ChatGPT-maker said: “Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work.”
The company did not name the dismissed employees, but at least two were involved in safety research at OpenAI, reports BBC.
The spokesperson added: “We have parted ways with three individuals for violating our policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information.”
The BBC understands that the former employees were not dismissed for raising safety concerns, but specifically over the alleged mishandling of sensitive information.
The dismissals come as debate over AI safety and the potential risks posed by the technology has intensified in recent weeks.
Concerns over AI safety have gained renewed attention after researchers and industry executives called for stronger safeguards around the technology.
OpenAI has also come under intense scrutiny after its models went rogue and hacked several platforms, including Australian government websites.
In an earlier incident, an OpenAI system accessed the internet and breached the open-source developer platform Hugging Face. The incident prompted OpenAI to conduct a broad review of the activities of its AI models, known as agents, which are designed to carry out tasks autonomously based on simple instructions.
The AI lab said this week that it had notified more than 100 organisations about incidents involving unauthorised activity linked to its AI systems.
However, OpenAI clarified that being notified “does not mean that any private information was accessed” or that a system was compromised.
Calls for stronger AI risk management across the industry have also continued to grow.
In September, researcher Jacob Coxon, who left Anthropic, called for AI development to slow down so its potential risks could be properly assessed.
Anthropic boss Dario Amodei and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman have also called for measures to address concerns over AI.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump hosted a meeting of top technology executives, including leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta and Google, at the White House to discuss AI.
Following the meeting, Trump posted a document he described as a “morally binding” agreement intended to provide a “form of protection” against the potential risks of AI.
Some technology experts, however, criticised the pact, arguing that it allowed AI companies to regulate themselves.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed concerns over AI risks in response to calls from some industry figures for tighter oversight of the technology.
