OpenAI’s Head of Robotics Resigns Over Company’s Pentagon Deal

(Bloomberg) — The head of OpenAI’s robotics team resigned Saturday, citing the company’s agreement to embed artificial intelligence models into the Pentagon’s secret network.

“This wasn’t an easy decision. AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human consent are lines that deserve further consideration,” Caitlin Kalinowski wrote in a post on X.

OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski’s departure in an email statement, saying it believes the agreement with the Department of Defense “creates a viable path for the responsible use of AI in national security while clearly establishing our red lines, domestic surveillance, and autonomous weapons.”

“We recognize that people have strong views on these issues, and we will continue to discuss them with employees, government, civil society and communities around the world,” the company said.

TechCrunch previously reported Kalinowski’s resignation.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Kalinowski joined OpenAI in November 2024 as a member of the company’s technical team in robotics after leading the development of augmented reality glasses for Meta.

OpenAI struck the deal with the Pentagon in late February after talks broke down between the Trump administration and Anthropic PBC, which had pressed for assurances that its technology would not be used for mass surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous weapons. OpenAI did not say whether its services for the Pentagon would replace work previously done by Anthropic.

President Donald Trump ordered all government departments to stop working with Anthropic, and the Pentagon declared the company and its products a supply chain risk. Anthropic was previously owned by China’s Huawei Technologies Co. He said he would challenge the appointment in court, which was reserved for organizations of rival nations such as.

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said earlier this month that the company’s rush to reach a deal with the Department of Defense appeared “opportunistic and sloppy.” OpenAI also publicly opposed blacklisting Anthropic.

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