OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told staffers late Thursday that he would like the company “try to help de-escalate things” between rival Anthropic and the Department of Defense.
“We have long believed that AI should not be used for mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons, and that humans should remain in the loop for high-stakes automated decisions,” Altman wrote in a memo that was viewed by CNBC. “These are our main red lines.”
Anthropic has until 5:01 p.m. ET on Friday to decide whether it will agree to give the Pentagon permission to use its artificial intelligence models in all lawful use cases without limitation. The startup wants assurance that its technology won’t be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance of Americans, but the DoD hasn’t budged.
Altman’s internal letter on Thursday was meant to show that OpenAI shares Anthropic’s boundaries. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the memo.
Prior to the Altman memo, OpenAI employees had begun to speak out in support of Anthropic on social media. Some 70 current staffers have signed an open letter titled, “We Will Not Be Divided,” which aims to create a “shared understanding and solidarity in the face of this pressure” from the department, according to its website.
