Caitlin Kalinowski resigns from OpenAI robotics team over military AI guardrails

Caitlin Kalinowski has resigned from her role as a member of technical staff focused on robotics and hardware at OpenAI. She cited concerns about the company's recently announced partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to make its AI systems available inside secure computing systems. Kalinowski posted on social media that she stepped down on principle after the plans were revealed. In public posts, she wrote that she cares deeply about the Robotics team and the work built together and that the decision was not easy. Kalinowski said policy guardrails around certain AI uses were not sufficiently defined before the announcement. She stated that AI has an important role in national security but that surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization deserved more deliberation than they received. Kalinowski said her concerns centered on the process rather than specific executives and expressed deep respect for Sam Altman and the team. An OpenAI spokesperson said the agreement creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear red lines against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The spokesperson added that the company recognizes people have strong views on these issues and will continue to engage in discussion with employees, government, civil society and communities. Kalinowski's work at the company focused on building out the robotics organization as it scaled, including hiring to support expansion into AI efforts tied to physical infrastructure and machinery. She wrote that she is taking some time but remains focused on building responsible physical AI.