Several current and former employees of OpenAI and Google DeepMind today shared an open letter warning of the dangers of advanced AI and the current lack of oversight of companies working on AI technology.


The employees suggest there are a number of risks that we are facing from AI development, including further entrenchment of existing inequalities, manipulation and misinformation, and loss of control of autonomous AI systems, which the letter says could lead to human extinction.

AI companies have “strong financial incentives” to forge ahead with development and to avoid sharing information about their protective measures and risk levels. “We do not think they can all be relied upon to share it voluntarily,” reads the letter, which says that it is up to current and former employees to speak out.

So long as there is no effective government oversight of these corporations, current and former employees are among the few people who can hold them accountable to the public. Yet broad confidentiality agreements block us from voicing our concerns, except to the very companies that may be failing to address these issues. Ordinary whistleblower protections are insufficient because they focus on illegal activity, whereas many of the risks we are concerned about are not yet regulated.

Employees are ultimately calling on AI companies to offer solid whistleblower protections for speaking out about the risks of AI.

  • Avoid creating or enforcing agreements that prevent criticism for risk-related concerns.
  • Offer a verifiably anonymous process for employees to raise risk-related concerns to the board, regulators, and independent organizations with relevant expertise.
  • Support a culture of open criticism to allow employees to raise risk-related concerns about technologies to the public, the board, regulators, and more, as long as trade secrets are protected.
  • Avoid retaliating against employees who publicly share risk-related confidential information after other processes have failed.

A total of 13 employees signed the letter, including seven former OpenAI employees, four current OpenAI employees, one former Google DeepMind employee, and one current Google DeepMind employee. OpenAI has threatened employees with loss of vested equity for speaking up, and it makes them sign draconian NDA agreements that muzzle criticism.

The letter comes as Apple prepares to announce multiple AI-powered features for iOS 18 and other software updates on Monday. Apple is working on its own AI functionality that will be baked into apps across the operating system, plus it has signed a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT features into ‌iOS 18‌.

Popular Stories

Some AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Customers Report Issues With Calls [Update: Fixed]

There appears to be an outage with at least one U.S. cellular carrier, with customers unable to place or receive calls. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon customers have been complaining about the issue on social networks, and there are also reports of outages on the Down Detector website. According to a statement from AT&T, the outage is affecting calls between carriers in the United States. All…

Gurman: No Hardware at WWDC, Next Apple TV No Longer Coming Soon

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman does not expect Apple to announce any new hardware during its WWDC 2024 keynote on June 10. “There’s no hardware slated to be announced at WWDC, unless Apple unexpectedly previews a new device launching later (to be clear: I don’t expect that),” said Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. Notably, Gurman now says a new Apple TV model “isn’t imminent,” despite…

Sonos Ace Headphones vs. AirPods Max

Sonos in May decided to get into the headphone market with the launch of the Sonos Ace headphones. The $449 Sonos Ace headphones have some enticing design elements and features you won’t see in Apple’s headphones, so we thought we’d compare them to the $549 AirPods Max to see which is ultimately better. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In terms of design, both the…

iOS 18: These iPhones Likely Won’t Support Some AI Features

Apple is planning a major AI overhaul in iOS 18, but some new features are unlikely to work on older iPhones, even if they do appear on the new operating system’s device compatibility list. Apple’s initial AI roadmap for iOS 18 is said to come in two parts: Basic AI features that will be processed on-device, and more advanced capabilities that will require communication with Apple’s servers. …

iPhone 16 Pro Could Break Record for Thinnest Bezels on a Smartphone

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models will have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone, beating the screen border thinness of even its latest iPhone 15 Pro devices. That’s according to the leaker known as “Ice Universe,” who has divulged accurate information about Apple’s plans in the past. According to multiple sources, despite minimal design changes, both iPhone 16 Pro models will increase…