Overview
- Caitlin Kalinowski announced her resignation on X and LinkedIn, calling the decision a matter of principle tied to concerns over spying on Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization.
- OpenAI confirmed her departure and said its Pentagon agreement defines boundaries for responsible national security uses of AI with stated prohibitions on domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons.
- The company reached a deal to make its models available on a classified Defense Department network, drawing criticism from employees and outside observers.
- CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the rollout appeared opportunistic and the company has since moved to clarify restrictions on military use.
- Kalinowski had led OpenAI’s hardware and robotics teams since November 2024 after senior hardware roles at Meta and Apple, and her exit follows Anthropic’s rejection of a similar Pentagon arrangement over surveillance and autonomy concerns.