OpenAI Loses Key AI Safety Expert as Senior Adviser Miles Brundage Exits

OpenAI Senior Adviser Departs, Citing Lack of AGI Readiness

Miles Brundage, OpenAI’s senior adviser for AGI readiness, has announced his departure from the company after a six-year tenure focused on AI safety initiatives. In a surprising move, Brundage warned that neither OpenAI nor the world is adequately prepared for the advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

Brundage’s exit comes amid growing concerns about AGI readiness across frontier labs. He emphasized that OpenAI’s leadership acknowledges this issue, highlighting the distinction between current readiness and future preparedness.

This departure is part of a recent trend of high-profile exits from OpenAI’s safety teams. Jan Leike and cofounder Ilya Sutskever have also left the company, citing similar safety concerns. The dissolution of the “AGI Readiness” and “Superalignment” teams further underscores internal conflicts within the organization.

OpenAI has been facing pressure to transition to a for-profit public benefit corporation, raising concerns about commercialization potentially overshadowing safety and research priorities. Brundage reportedly had reservations about OpenAI’s for-profit division since 2019.

In explaining his departure, Brundage cited increasing constraints on research and publication freedom. He advocates for independent voices in AI policy discussions and believes he can contribute more effectively to global AI governance from outside OpenAI.

The exit also sheds light on a cultural divide within OpenAI, as the company shifts from a research-focused to a product-driven environment. This transition has caused friction, with reports of resource allocation issues, such as the denial of computing power for safety research.

Despite these tensions, OpenAI has offered Brundage support for his future work, including funding, resources, API credits, and early model access without conditions.

As the AI industry continues to evolve rapidly, Brundage’s departure raises important questions about the balance between innovation, safety, and ethical considerations in the development of advanced AI systems.