Fired OpenAI Safety Researchers Dispute Misconduct Claims, Warn of Chilling Effect

Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni — three OpenAI safety researchers — were fired last week after the company said they had shared confidential information with an outside AI safety group. In an open letter, the three deny mishandling sensitive data and say they followed the rules as they stood at the time. Wang says OpenAI cited her access to an executive's email, which she says was granted for recruiting purposes and which she reported herself after opening a sensitive message by mistake.

OpenAI says an internal investigation found a "pattern of misconduct" in how research information was handled, and denies the firings were retaliation for raising safety concerns — the company reportedly agrees with the researchers' call to embed third-party safety auditors. The researchers warn the dismissals are chilling open debate and outside collaboration at the company, with Wang cautioning that others "could be next, without being told why."