OpenAI workers in San Francisco have been advised to remain contained in the workplace on Friday afternoon after the corporate purportedly obtained a menace from a person who was beforehand related to the Cease AI activist group.
“Our info signifies that [name] from StopAI has expressed curiosity in inflicting bodily hurt to OpenAI workers,” a member of the interior communications staff wrote on Slack. “He has beforehand been on website at our San Francisco amenities.”
Simply earlier than 11 am, San Francisco police obtained a 911 name a couple of man allegedly making threats and meaning to hurt others at 550 Terry Francois Boulevard, which is close to OpenAI’s places of work within the Mission Bay neighborhood, in keeping with knowledge tracked by the crime app Citizen. A police scanner recording archived on the app describes the suspect by identify and alleges he might have bought weapons with the intention of focusing on extra OpenAI areas.
Hours earlier than the incident on Friday, the person who police flagged as allegedly making the thread stated he was not a part of Cease AI in a submit on social media.
WIRED reached out to the person in query however didn’t instantly obtain a response. San Francisco police additionally didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. OpenAI didn’t present an announcement previous to publication.
On Slack, the interior communications staff offered three photos of the person suspected of creating the menace. Later, a high-ranking member of the worldwide safety staff stated “Right now, there is no such thing as a indication of lively menace exercise, the state of affairs stays ongoing and we’re taking measured precautions because the evaluation continues.” Workers have been advised to take away their badges when exiting the constructing and to keep away from sporting clothes gadgets with the OpenAI emblem.
Over the previous couple of years, protestors affiliated with teams calling themselves Cease AI, No AGI, and Pause AI have held demonstrations outdoors the San Francisco places of work of a number of AI firms, together with OpenAI and Anthropic, over issues that the unfettered growth of superior AI might hurt humanity. In February, protestors have been arrested for locking the entrance doorways to OpenAI’s Mission Bay workplace. Earlier this month, StopAI claimed its public defender was the person who jumped onstage to subpoena OpenAI CEO Sam Altman throughout an onstage interview in San Francisco.
In a Cease AI press launch from final yr, the person who police stated was alleged to have made the menace in opposition to OpenAI staffers is described as an organizer and quoted as saying that he would discover “life not value dwelling” if AI applied sciences have been to switch people in making scientific discoveries and taking up jobs. “Pause AI could also be seen as radical amongst AI individuals and techies,” he stated. “However it isn’t radical amongst most of the people, and neither is stopping AGI growth altogether.”
