OpenAI has reportedly fired a safety executive who had opposed introducing sexual content generation features in ChatGPT. The company cited sex discrimination as the reason for the dismissal, but the person denied it.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 11th (local time) that OpenAI fired Vice President Ryan Beyermyster, who led the product policy team, in early last month. The company cited discrimination against Namsung colleagues as the reason.
Former Vice President Beyermyster told the WSJ that the claim was not true. During the time of employment, Beyermyster had expressed opposition to OpenAI's push to introduce sexual content generation features, and was reported to have raised internal concerns that safeguards to block adult content for teens were insufficient. Beyermyster was also said to have expressed concern about the effectiveness of systems to block child sexual exploitation content.
In a statement, OpenAI acknowledged former Vice President Beyermyster's contributions to the company but said the departure was unrelated to the policy issues Beyermyster raised.
Earlier, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman said in Oct. last year that the company was considering allowing sexual content use for adult users. At the time, Altman, addressing related criticism, said the company "cannot play a role in imposing moral standards."