Whistleblowers urge swift SEC action against OpenAI's alleged employee silencing tactics

Whistleblowers have filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against OpenAI, alleging that the AI company illegally prevented employees from warning about the safety risks of its technology.

According to a letter to the SEC obtained by the Washington Post, OpenAI used overly restrictive employment, severance, and non-disclosure agreements that included penalties for employees who raised concerns with regulators.

The complaint claims that OpenAI required employees to forgo whistleblower compensation and obtain authorization before reporting issues to authorities, violating federal whistleblower protection laws.

The whistleblowers are urging the SEC to demand that OpenAI hand over all relevant agreements, impose penalties, and inform employees of their rights. They are also calling for an investigation into the company's practices.

The complaint's senders are pushing for "swift and aggressive" action from the SEC. While it remains unclear whether the agency will initiate an investigation, the whistleblowers' eventual approval could have a significant impact on the entire AI industry.

In response to the allegations, OpenAI stated that its whistleblower policy respects the rights of employees and that it has already adapted its processes. CEO Sam Altman, who said he wasn't aware of the gag clauses, expressed his regret at the end of May, saying he was "very sorry about this."

The complaint is just one of many safety-related criticisms that have come to light since Altman's dismissal in November. OpenAI has been accused of prioritizing new products over safety, with recent claims that the new GPT-4o model passed safety tests in just one week to meet a May release date, just before Google unveiled its latest AI products. Several safety researchers have reportedly left the company as a result.