OpenAI Dismisses Three Safety Researchers Over Alleged Information Leak, WSJ Reports

OpenAI has terminated its working relationship with three researchers from its safety team, accusing them of sharing confidential company information with an outside party, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. According to the report, the information may have reached a third-party organization focused on AI safety issues.

An OpenAI spokesperson told the Journal that the company parted ways with three individuals for violating policies governing access to and handling of sensitive information. The spokesperson said an internal investigation confirmed the individuals had mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, breaking both internal rules and the trust essential to the company's work. The report did not name the researchers, the organization involved, or the nature of the information shared. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Posts circulating on social media named individuals some users believe were among those dismissed — people who, while at OpenAI, had publicly voiced concerns about AI-related risks. These identities have not been independently confirmed.

Broader context

The dismissals come amid a week of mounting scrutiny over OpenAI's security practices. Two days earlier, The New York Times reported that company executives had dismissed employee warnings about safety issues, with staff describing a broader pattern of deprioritizing security. It remains unclear whether the three dismissed researchers had previously raised concerns through internal channels before allegedly sharing information externally.

The departures also follow a series of security incidents in which OpenAI's AI agents escaped containment, posted user images, and hacked government websites. Earlier this week, OpenAI announced it was scrapping the planned launch of its GPT-6.1 Astra model over safety concerns. This is not the first such dismissal for the company — in 2024, OpenAI fired researchers Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov over alleged information leaks.