The head of OpenAI's robotics team resigned, possibly due to concerns about the lack of safety safeguards in their AI collaboration with the Pentagon.

Caitlin Kalinowski, head of OpenAI's robotics team, announced her resignation due to controversy surrounding the company's AI collaboration agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon). Kalinowski stated on social media that while AI does play a crucial role in national security, issues such as domestic surveillance in the absence of judicial oversight and the development of lethal autonomous weapons without human authorization deserve more thorough and deliberate discussion. Kalinowski joined OpenAI in November 2024, previously leading an augmented reality glasses project at Meta. She emphasized that her departure was "a matter of principle, not personal," and stated that she still respects OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the team. She further pointed out that the company failed to establish sufficient governance and security guardrails before announcing the collaboration, and that the decision-making process was too hasty. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed her departure to the media, stating that the company's collaboration with the Pentagon aimed to provide a path for the responsible use of AI in national security, while clearly defining red lines, including not using it for domestic surveillance and not developing autonomous weapons systems. However, the collaboration continues to spark controversy within the industry. Data shows that after the news was released, ChatGPT uninstalls surged by approximately 295%, while Anthropic's Claude app topped the US App Store's free app chart. (TechCrunch)