Key Facts

• Former employees Mikita Balesni, Tomek Korbak, and Jasmine Wang say they were fired for prioritizing AI safety.
• The trio worry that their dismissal will make other staff afraid to raise safety issues.
• OpenAI claims the firings were due to serious breaches of trust related to company information.
• The ex-employees say they did not break company rules and worked with outside safety experts as part of their jobs.
• OpenAI says safety discussions are encouraged and happen regularly within the company.
• The fired workers released an open letter defending a culture of trust and open debate on AI safety.
• The issue comes as AI companies are under close scrutiny to prevent harmful impacts of advanced AI.
• OpenAI expressed sadness over the firing but said it must maintain trust to do its work.