Whistleblowers urge SEC inquiry into OpenAIs alleged unlawful NDAs

Anonymous whistleblowers from OpenAI, an artificial intelligence firm, have reportedly lodged a complaint with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the company’s alleged use of illegal non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). According to documents obtained exclusively by the Washington Post, the whistleblowers claim that OpenAI forced former employees to sign NDAs that were both restrictive and illegal, preventing them from discussing safety concerns with federal agents. The documents, sent to the newspaper by Senator Chuck Grassley’s office, indicate that Grassley supports the whistleblowers’ claims and believes that OpenAI’s NDAs need to be revised. The complaint, which has not been publicly disclosed, was specifically addressed to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and emphasized the need for swift enforcement of whistleblower laws and President Biden’s executive order on AI system development. OpenAI has responded to the allegations by stating that it is distancing itself from its past NDA practices, but has not admitted any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for OpenAI mentioned that the company has a whistleblower policy in place to protect employees’ rights to make protected disclosures, and that they have made changes to their departure process to remove nondisparagement terms. OpenAI is currently facing multiple lawsuits over its alleged use of copyrighted materials to train its ChatGPT system. Despite this, the company continues to form partnerships as it progresses towards its next AI model, codenamed “Strawberry”.