Rosie Campbell, a policy researcher at OpenAI, has announced her resignation from the company, citing the disbandment of the AGI Readiness team as a contributing factor. This team was focused on advising the company on the potential challenges of safely managing artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical form of AI that could surpass human intelligence.
Campbell expressed a desire for more freedom to address industry-wide issues after the departure of Miles Brundage, who previously led the AGI Readiness team. She stated that she believes she can pursue her mission of ensuring safe and beneficial AGI more effectively externally.
Despite her departure, Campbell acknowledged OpenAI's continued leadership in critical safety research. However, she also mentioned feeling unsettled by recent shifts in the company's trajectory. This includes OpenAI's transition to a for-profit entity and the expansion of its sales staff to capitalize on the growing AI market.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has defended these changes as necessary to secure the funding needed to achieve the company's goals. He has also emphasized that the responsibility for setting industry standards for AI safety should be a collective effort involving society as a whole, not just OpenAI.
Over the past year, several high-profile researchers, including cofounder Ilya Sutskever, have left OpenAI, expressing concerns about its commitment to safety. The company has yet to respond to requests for comment on Campbell's departure.
Campbell's resignation is the latest in a series of departures of safety-focused researchers from OpenAI this year, raising questions about the company's direction and priorities in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.