OpenAI’s robotics head quits after company’s Pentagon deal: ‘This was about principle’

• Caitlin Kalinowski said she had resigned from OpenAI on Saturday.
• In an X post, she said criticized OpenAI's deal with the Pentagon.
• The deal raised concerns over the use of AI surveillance and lethal autonomous systems.

Caitlin Kalinowski, a hardware executive who joined OpenAI from Meta in 2024 and leads its robotics division, said she is resigning from the company.

In a post on X on Saturday, Kalinowski criticized OpenAI's recent deal with the Pentagon.

"AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got," she wrote.

She called her resignation a matter of principle, and said she still deeply respects OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the team and is proud of their robotics work.

OpenAI struck a deal with the Pentagon last week, allowing the Department of Defense to use its AI products. The agreement came after its rival Anthropic refused a similar deal over concerns that the technology would be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.