HomeOpenAI robotics head Caitlin Kalinowski resigns over Pentagon partnership
OpenAI robotics leader Caitlin Kalinowski has stepped down following the company’s controversial partnership with the Department of Defense.
“This wasn’t an easy call,” Kalinowski explained in a social media statement. “While AI plays a vital role in national security, conducting surveillance on Americans without judicial oversight and deploying lethal autonomy without human authorization are boundaries that require far more careful consideration.”
Kalinowski, formerly known for leading Meta’s augmented reality glasses division, joined OpenAI in November 2024. In her resignation notice, she stressed that her departure was driven by “principle, not people,” expressing “deep respect” for CEO Sam Altman and the broader OpenAI team.
In a subsequent post on X, Kalinowski clarified, “My primary concern is that the announcement was rushed without clearly defined guardrails. This is fundamentally a governance issue. These matters are too critical to be handled through hasty deals or announcements.”
An OpenAI spokesperson verified Kalinowski’s exit to TechCrunch.
“We believe our agreement with the Pentagon establishes a viable framework for responsible national security applications of AI, while clearly establishing our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons,” the company stated. “We acknowledge strong opinions on these issues and remain committed to ongoing dialogue with employees, government officials, civil society, and communities worldwide.”
The Pentagon deal, announced just over a week ago, emerged after negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic collapsed. Anthropic had sought safeguards to prevent its technology from being used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, leading the Pentagon to classify Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. (Anthropic plans to challenge this designation in court; meanwhile, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have agreed to continue providing Anthropic’s Claude to non-defense clients.)
Subsequently, OpenAI swiftly announced its own agreement permitting the use of its technology in classified environments. As executives attempted to clarify the deal online, the company described it as adopting a “more expansive, multi-layered approach” that combines contractual language with technical safeguards to protect red lines similar to those proposed by Anthropic.
Despite these efforts, the controversy seems to have impacted OpenAI’s reputation among some users, with ChatGPT uninstalls jumping by 295% and Claude rising to the top of the App Store rankings. As of Saturday afternoon, Claude and ChatGPT remained the number one and number two free apps on the U.S. App Store, respectively.
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OpenAI robotics leader Caitlin Kalinowski has stepped down following the company’s controversial partnership with the Department of Defense.
“This wasn’t an easy call,” Kalinowski explained in a social media statement. “While AI plays a vital role in national security, conducting surveillance on Americans without judicial oversight and deploying lethal autonomy without human authorization are boundaries that require far more careful consideration.”
Kalinowski, formerly known for leading Meta’s augmented reality glasses division, joined OpenAI in November 2024. In her resignation notice, she stressed that her departure was driven by “principle, not people,” expressing “deep respect” for CEO Sam Altman and the broader OpenAI team.
In a subsequent post on X, Kalinowski clarified, “My primary concern is that the announcement was rushed without clearly defined guardrails. This is fundamentally a governance issue. These matters are too critical to be handled through hasty deals or announcements.”
An OpenAI spokesperson verified Kalinowski’s exit to TechCrunch.
“We believe our agreement with the Pentagon establishes a viable framework for responsible national security applications of AI, while clearly establishing our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons,” the company stated. “We acknowledge strong opinions on these issues and remain committed to ongoing dialogue with employees, government officials, civil society, and communities worldwide.”
The Pentagon deal, announced just over a week ago, emerged after negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic collapsed. Anthropic had sought safeguards to prevent its technology from being used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, leading the Pentagon to classify Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. (Anthropic plans to challenge this designation in court; meanwhile, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have agreed to continue providing Anthropic’s Claude to non-defense clients.)
Subsequently, OpenAI swiftly announced its own agreement permitting the use of its technology in classified environments. As executives attempted to clarify the deal online, the company described it as adopting a “more expansive, multi-layered approach” that combines contractual language with technical safeguards to protect red lines similar to those proposed by Anthropic.
Despite these efforts, the controversy seems to have impacted OpenAI’s reputation among some users, with ChatGPT uninstalls jumping by 295% and Claude rising to the top of the App Store rankings. As of Saturday afternoon, Claude and ChatGPT remained the number one and number two free apps on the U.S. App Store, respectively.
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