Sam Altman leaves OpenAI's safety committee

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has resigned from the Safety and Security Committee, which was formed in May to oversee critical safety decisions related to OpenAI’s operations and projects. The move comes amidst growing scrutiny over OpenAI’s approach to AI regulation and safety.

Following Altman’s departure, the Safety and Security Committee will now operate as an independent board oversight group. It will be chaired by Carnegie Mellon professor Zico Kolter, with existing board members Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, retired U.S. Army General Paul Nakasone, and former Sony EVP Nicole Seligman also serving on the committee.

The committee will continue to play a key role in reviewing the company's latest AI models, including the most recent model, o1. It retains the authority to delay product releases until safety concerns are adequately addressed. The group will also receive regular reports on technical assessments of current and future models, as well as post-launch monitoring updates.

“As part of its work, the Safety and Security Committee will continue to receive regular reports on technical assessments for current and future models, as well as reports of ongoing post-release monitoring,” OpenAI wrote in a post. “We are building upon our model launch processes and practices to establish an integrated safety and security framework with clearly defined success criteria for model launches.”

Altman’s resignation comes after five U.S. senators raised concerns over OpenAI’s safety and regulatory policies in a letter addressed to him earlier this year. OpenAI has also seen a significant portion of its safety-focused staff leave, with former employees accusing Altman of opposing 'real' AI regulation in favor of policies that advance the company's corporate aims.

The company has ramped up its federal lobbying, setting aside $800,000 for lobbying in the first half of 2024, compared to just $260,000 for all of 2023. Altman also joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board earlier this year.