Two former Open AI employees wrote to California’s Governor Gavin Newsom last week expressing their disappointment at the company’s arguments against SB 1047, a bill proposed in California to place safety protocols in the development of artificial intelligence.
What Happened: “We joined OpenAI because we wanted to ensure the safety of the incredibly powerful AI systems the company is developing. But we resigned from OpenAI because we lost trust that it would safely, honestly, and responsibly develop its AI systems,” William Saunders and Daniel Kokotajlo wrote in the letter shared with Politico.
AI development might pose a risk of “critical harm to society” such as unprecedented cyberattacks or assisting in the creation of biological weapons, they said, while also warnings of “catastrophic harm to the public” if AI models are developed without adequate safety precautions
About Bill SB 1047: The bill, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-Calif.), mandates safety testing for advanced AI models costing over $100 million to develop or requiring significant computing power.
The bill also requires developers to include a "kill switch" to shut down AI models if they malfunction. The state attorney general would have the authority to sue non-compliant developers, especially if the AI poses a threat to critical systems like the power grid.
Additionally, third-party auditors would be hired to assess safety practices, and whistleblowers would receive protections.
Open AI’s Argument Against Bill: Sam Altman‘s OpenAI has argued that AI regulation should be handled at the federal level, citing the bill's potential to create an uncertain legal environment.
However, the two former employees are of the opinion that the company’s complaints about the bill are “not constructive” and “don’t seem in good faith.”
“We cannot wait for Congress to act — they’ve explicitly said that they aren’t willing to pass meaningful AI regulation,” Saunders and Kokotajlo wrote. “If they ever do, it can preempt CA legislation.”
“Sam Altman, our former boss, has repeatedly called for AI regulation. Now, when actual regulation is on the table, he opposes it,” they alleged.
They also requested the California Legislature and Governor Newsom to pass the bill into law.
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