In a shocking turn of events, Jan Leike, a prominent AI researcher who recently departed from OpenAI amid public criticism of its AI safety measures, announced on Tuesday his new role at Anthropic, a rival AI company.
Leike's move underscores ongoing tensions within OpenAI regarding its AI safety strategies. These conflicts have been evident since the company's failed attempt to oust CEO Sam Altman last November. On the same day as Leike's announcement, OpenAI revealed the establishment of a new safety committee reporting directly to its board.
"I'm excited to join AnthropicAI to continue the superalignment mission! My new team will work on scalable oversight, weak-to-strong generalization, and automated alignment research, " said Leike in a post on X.
Leike will spearhead a new oversight team at Anthropic, focusing on scalable oversight, weak-to-strong generalization, and automated alignment research.
Anthropic, backed by tech giants Amazon and Google, is known for its Claude chatbot, which prioritizes responsible and ethical responses to user prompts. The company was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees who left due to disagreements over OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft and its commercial direction.
Current researchers working on scalable oversight at Anthropic will transition to report to Leike as his team is established. This team’s mission parallels that of OpenAI’s recently dissolved Superalignment team, which Leike co-led. The Superalignment team aimed to address the critical technical challenges of controlling superintelligent AI but faced limitations due to OpenAI’s leadership decisions.
Leike’s move to Anthropic highlights the ongoing debate over the best practices for AI development and safety, as leading researchers continue to seek environments that align with their vision for ethical AI deployment.
Elsewhere, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Accenture, have partnered to enable organizations, particularly those in highly regulated sectors such as healthcare, public services, banking, and insurance, to responsibly integrate and expand customized generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology within their operations.
