Whistleblowers denounce OpenAI's 'unlawful' confidentiality agreements it imposes on its employees

The letter, obtained by whistleblowers, accuses OpenAI of imposing “unlawful” restrictions on how employees can communicate with government regulators. The Washington Post.

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According to a missive addressed to Gary Gensler by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), OpenAI, a company known for its artificial intelligence technology including ChatGPT, uses “unlawful” confidentiality agreements.

A traditional confidentiality agreement generally prevents an employee from disclosing company secrets to competitors and the public.

However, the contracts OpenAI signs with its employees prevent it from communicating with federal authorities regarding security concerns, according to anonymous whistleblowers.

The latter asked American financial watchdogs to investigate the deals, alleging “systemic” legal violations at the startup.

According to the letter, a formal complaint has also been filed with the SEC.

“The agreement prohibits and discourages employees and investors from communicating with the SEC regarding security breaches and requires employees to notify the company when they communicate with government regulators,” the spokesperson said in the letter.

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Given the potential danger posed by artificial intelligence, these whistleblowers hammer home the importance of regulating this technology, as well as the role of employees and whistleblowers in national security.

“It is imperative to ensure that employees who work on this technology understand that they can express complaints or concerns to federal regulatory authorities or law enforcement,” they wrote.