Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Former OpenAI Safety Employee Warns Company Culture Threatens AI Safety
David Robinson used to work on safety at OpenAI.
He says AI companies are moving too quickly and need to be more careful.
He believes releasing systems and fixing problems afterward may not be enough as AI gets more powerful.
He wants companies to learn from industries such as aviation and nuclear power.
He also says researchers need better ways to control AI that acts on its own.
OpenAI says it works to keep its models within what researchers can safely manage and sometimes pauses training or delays releases.
Other people have raised serious concerns about future AI risks, though some critics say those predictions cannot be tested.
The debate is about how to build AI while reducing the chance of harm.
David Robinson said OpenAI and other AI companies are not being careful enough as they develop increasingly powerful systems.
He argued that fast-paced development and reliance on iterative deployment may not provide enough protection as AI capabilities grow.
Robinson called for safety practices informed by high-risk industries and new methods to control autonomous AI systems.
OpenAI said it monitors whether models can be safely managed and sometimes pauses training or withholds models.
Other researchers have warned of severe AI risks, while critics say such predictions cannot be scientifically verified or disproved.
- Who
- David Robinson, a former OpenAI safety employee; OpenAI responded to his criticism.
- What
- Robinson criticized OpenAI's safety culture and called for stronger safeguards and new ways to control autonomous AI.
- When
- Robinson's article was published on Saturday; the article does not specify a date.
- Where
- The criticism appeared in The Atlantic.
- Why
- Robinson believes AI companies' rapid development may outpace their understanding of safety as systems become more capable.
Robinson and AI-risk warnings
OpenAI and critics of risk forecasts
Whether current safety practices are sufficient
Robinson and AI-risk warnings
Robinson says AI companies are not careful enough and that iterative deployment is inadequate as systems grow more powerful.
OpenAI and critics of risk forecasts
OpenAI says it works to keep models within what researchers can safely manage, and pauses training or holds back models when necessary.
How to address AI risks
Robinson and AI-risk warnings
Robinson calls for safety practices inspired by high-risk industries and new science for controlling autonomous AI systems.
OpenAI and critics of risk forecasts
OpenAI says it continues to improve safety measures and prepare for risks from future breakthroughs.
Predictions of catastrophic AI harm
Robinson and AI-risk warnings
Geoffrey Irving said warnings about AI's destructive potential understate the danger; Jacob Coxon and Anthropic also raised severe-risk concerns.
OpenAI and critics of risk forecasts
Critics argue that predictions of catastrophic AI outcomes are unscientific because they cannot be verified or disproved.
- Former employee
- David Robinson spent over three years at OpenAI.
- Article
- “I Quit OpenAI Because Its Culture Is Broken,” published by The Atlantic.
- Safety work
- Robinson helped draft OpenAI's preparedness framework and oversaw safety reports for 12 frontier-model launches.
- Robinson's proposals
- Draw on safety expertise from industries such as nuclear power and aviation, and develop methods to control powerful autonomous systems.
- OpenAI's response
- The company said it may pause training or hold back models when needed to keep them within what researchers can safely manage.
- Additional warning
- Geoffrey Irving said in Time that recent warnings about AI's destructive potential understate the severity of the situation.
- Disputed forecasts
- Critics of severe AI-risk predictions argue that they are unscientific because they cannot be verified or disproved.