The letter, which was obtained completely by The Washington Submit, was written by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), asking OpenAI’s chief govt, Sam Altman, to stipulate what modifications it has made to its worker agreements to make sure these wishing to boost issues about OpenAI to federal regulators can achieve this with out penalty. The letter comes after worker warnings that OpenAI rushed by security testing of its newest AI mannequin, which had been detailed in The Submit final month.
Grassley’s letter comes simply a number of days after 5 senators — 4 democrats and an unbiased — despatched Altman a letter demanding details about how the corporate would meet its “public commitments” to make sure its AI know-how doesn’t trigger hurt, reminiscent of by educating customers to construct bioweapons or serving to hackers develop new sorts of cyberattacks.
It additionally comes amid worker issues that OpenAI is placing revenue earlier than security in creating its know-how. Grassley’s letter cites The Submit’s July report detailing how OpenAI rushed out its newest AI mannequin, GPT-4 Omni, to satisfy a Might launch date. Firm leaders moved forward with the launch regardless of worker issues about the time-frame, and sped by complete security testing, undermining a July 2023 security pledge to the White Home. “We didn’t minimize corners on our security course of, although we acknowledge the launch was hectic for our groups,” OpenAI spokesperson Liz Bourgeois mentioned in an earlier assertion to The Submit.
Grassley’s letter additionally provides to the controversy OpenAI has confronted round whether or not it’s silencing its workers from sharing issues to federal authorities. In a July letter to the Securities and Change Fee, OpenAI whistleblowers mentioned they’d filed a grievance with the company alleging the corporate illegally issued restrictive severance, nondisclosure and worker agreements, doubtlessly penalizing staff who wished to boost issues to federal regulators. Hannah Wong, an OpenAI spokesperson, mentioned in an announcement in July that the corporate has “made necessary modifications to our departure course of to take away nondisparagement phrases.”
“OpenAI’s whistleblower coverage protects workers’ rights to boost points together with to any nationwide, federal, state, or native authorities company,” Bourgeois mentioned in response to Grassley’s letter. “We voided non-disparagement provisions for all present and former workers again in Might and we’ve since up to date our paperwork accordingly.”
The fast advance of synthetic intelligence has sharpened policymakers’ issues in regards to the energy of the tech business, prompting a flood of requires regulation. In the USA, AI firms are largely working in a authorized vacuum, and policymakers say they can not successfully create new AI insurance policies with out the assistance of whistleblowers, who may help clarify the potential threats posed by the fast-moving know-how.
Grassley mentioned “it’s essential OpenAI guarantee its workers can present protected disclosures with out unlawful restrictions,” including that his employees spoke with OpenAI workers twice in July to request information about its worker agreements.
Clare Slattery, a spokesperson for Grassley, mentioned the senator’s employees requested for numerous paperwork concerning the corporate’s previous and present employment agreements, however OpenAI has not supplied them as of but.
Grassley additionally cited The Submit’s reporting in July, the place an OpenAI consultant mentioned it had “squeezed” its security testing of GPT-4 Omni into every week, as proof of why workers should be capable of increase points freely to federal regulators.
“In keeping with the article, this incident prompted a number of present and former OpenAI workers to talk out,” Grassley mentioned, and added that it “highlighted the harms of restrictive NDAs within the AI sector, particularly at OpenAI.”
In an announcement on X on Thursday, Altman mentioned that “we would like present and former workers to have the ability to increase issues and really feel comfy doing so.” He mentioned the corporate in Might “voided nondisparagement phrases for present and former workers and provisions that gave OpenAI the best (though it was by no means used) to cancel vested fairness” for former workers who raised issues in regards to the firm, or spoke out about their expertise.
OpenAI on Wednesday additionally responded to the 5 senators, led by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who requested for particulars in regards to the firm’s efforts to safeguard its know-how. In its response letter, the corporate mentioned it consulted greater than 100 exterior specialists to evaluate dangers from GPT-4 Omni.
OpenAI should element what number of occasions workers have requested the corporate to boost issues with federal authorities, in response to Grassley’s letter, and determine if the corporate is below investigation from the Securities and Change Fee.
The corporate has till Aug. 15 to reply.
Cat Zakrzewski contributed to this report.
