Legal Battle Rocks OpenAI: Sam Altman at Center of Controversy

From non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by staff to the most recent conflict with a well-known Hollywood actress, Microsoft-backed OpenAI is embroiled in a new wave of controversy. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is now facing concerns from former colleagues about the company's dedication to AI safety.

Gretchen Krueger, a former OpenAI policy researcher, recently announced her decision to leave the business after the resignations of top executives Jan Leike and Ilya Sutskever. Krueger went on to write on social networking site X that she had "overlapping concerns" about the firm.

Former workers are publicly criticizing OpenAI, with many claiming that the company's development of artificial intelligence technology might have catastrophic ramifications for mankind. Sam Altman himself previously supported this concern.

Stuart Russell, a major AI researcher and technology pioneer, told Business Insider that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence can result in massive catastrophes, such as a rapidly increasing wave of AI deepfakes and an AI-led market crisis.

According to Business Insider, Russel, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, says Atlman's stance toward developing artificial general intelligence before focusing on its safety is "absolutely unacceptable."

“This is why most of the safety people at OpenAI have left,” he said. Russel further added, “Even people who are developing the technology say there's a chance of human extinction. What gave them the right to play Russian roulette with everyone's children?”

Criticism of OpenAI's dedication to AI safety comes as Sam Altman's organization confronts a legal battle with actress Scarlett Johansson. The actress recently moved to social media to point out that the main voice for OpenAI's new GPT-4o model was "eerily similar" to her own, despite having turned down Altman's request to work on the project.

She accused OpenAI of utilizing her voice without her consent, and many other creatives have made similar claims against the artificial intelligence company.

When Sam Altman abruptly left the business last November, the OpenAI board raised concerns about his leadership style. However, with prominent executives leaving OpenAI and openly denouncing its principles, Altman will be put in a difficult position once more.