Posted by msmash from the concerning-developments dept.
A hacker infiltrated OpenAI’s internal messaging systems in early 2023, stealing confidential information about the ChatGPT maker’s AI technologies, New York Times reported Thursday. The breach, disclosed to employees in April that year but kept from the public, has sparked internal debate over the company’s security protocols and potential national security implications, the report adds. The hacker accessed an employee forum containing sensitive discussions but did not breach core AI systems. OpenAI executives, believing the hacker had no government ties, opted against notifying law enforcement, the Times reported. From the report: After the breach, Leopold Aschenbrenner, an OpenAI technical program manager focused on ensuring that future A.I. technologies do not cause serious harm, sent a memo to OpenAI’s board of directors, arguing that the company was not doing enough to prevent the Chinese government and other foreign adversaries from stealing its secrets.
Mr. Aschenbrenner said OpenAI had fired him this spring for leaking other information outside the company and argued that his dismissal had been politically motivated. He alluded to the breach on a recent podcast, but details of the incident have not been previously reported. He said OpenAI’s security wasn’t strong enough to protect against the theft of key secrets if foreign actors were to infiltrate the company.
“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” — Albert Einstein
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