David Robinson, who led safety transparency work at OpenAI, has resigned and criticized the company’s approach to managing increasingly capable AI. Business Insider reported his departure, which he subsequently explained in a first-person essay.
Robinson helped produce system cards, reports that describe model capabilities, safety evaluations and limitations. In his essay for The Atlantic, he said he oversaw safety reports for 12 frontier launches and led drafting of OpenAI’s current Preparedness Framework.
His concerns had surfaced in a September 9 post on X. Robinson said OpenAI was changing significantly each day but questioned whether the organization was adapting fast enough. He also suggested employees had not fully absorbed the consequences of increasingly capable systems.
Robinson argued that constant launches and confidence in fixing problems after deployment create growing risks. He called for safety practices drawn from aviation and nuclear power, alongside stronger research on AI alignment. He acknowledged that OpenAI stands by its safety practices.
The resignation follows three dismissals from OpenAI’s safety ranks, which the company attributed to mishandling confidential information. Robinson described his own departure as a personal decision and said he plans to work outside the company to strengthen incentives for safer development.
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