Ex OpenAI Employees Say They Resigned Because Company Was Restricting Research On AI Risk

OpenAI is under code red, and the company is continuing to do so even after the launch of ChatGPT 5.2 today. And the organisation is more cautious about releasing any research that focuses on the possible

risks and economic downsides of AI. As per a report published by The Wired, ex-OpenAI employees have admitted that it has become increasingly difficult to publish studies that dealt with the negative effects of AI on economic stability, jobs, and markets.In the last few months, minimum two researchers have put down their papers from the economic research team of OpenAI. Tom Cunningham, one of the researchers who left in September, expressed the frustration related to internal pressure putting an impact on his team's work. Wired reported that Cunningham shared a message with his colleagues saying the group faced 'a growing tension' between conducting rigorous economic analysis and effectively running its operations as an advocacy arm. Furthermore, the report also stated that OpenAI has become more hesitant to publish research that emphasises job cuts or labour disruption. Apart from that, a lot of researchers have said that the company favours studies that highlight productivity boosts of AI instead of those that talk about the downsides.Also Read: ChatGPT Adult Mode To Release In Early 2026, Everything You Need To KnowHowever, OpenAI's top executives say these claims are baseless, suggesting that the economic research team has got more free rein as compared to the previous set up at the company. Still, the way OpenAI is getting into problems uninvited, these type of things panning out will only damage the image of the firm.

What Else Is Happening Right Now?

OpenAI has dropped a new ChatGPT 5.2 model, and it is being hailed as a high performing one that will deliver much better results as compared to its predecessor. That's not it, Sam Altman's firm has also cracked a deal with Disney where later is investing $1 billion in OpenAI, along with giving its AI video generation platform, Sora 2, to use Disney Characters.