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As announced, OpenAI’s head of trust and safety, Dave Willner, has stepped down from his position. Willner will remain in an “advisory role,” but asks LinkedIn followers to “reach out” for relevant opportunities. The former OpenAI project leader says he made the move after deciding to spend more time with his family. Yes, that’s what they always say, but Willner follows it up with real details.
“In the months since ChatGPT’s launch, we have found it increasingly difficult to keep the deal through,” he wrote. “OpenAI has gone through a very intensive stage in its development, and so have our children.
He went on to say he was “proud of everything” the company accomplished during his tenure, saying it was “one of the coolest and most interesting jobs” in the world.
Of course, this transition comes over several legal hurdles faced by OpenAI and its flagship product, ChatGPT. The FTC raided the company over concerns it violated consumer protection laws and engaged in “unfair or deceptive” conduct that could compromise public privacy and security. The investigation included a bug that leaked users’ private data, which certainly seems to fall within the trust and safety envelope.
Willner said his decision was actually a “very easy one, but not many people in my position make it so clear in public.” He also said he hopes his decision will help normalize a more open discussion about work-life balance.
Concerns over the safety of AI have been on the rise in recent months, and OpenAI is one of the companies to apply safety to their products under orders from President Biden and the White House. These include allowing independent experts access to code, warning society of risks such as bias, sharing safety information with governments, and watermarking audio and video content to let people know it is AI-generated.
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