OpenAI has dismissed three of its researchers after an internal investigation found they violated company policies on handling sensitive information, the AI company said in a post on X on Friday.

The statement came after the dismissed researchers — Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni — published a letter describing the circumstances of their terminations and voicing concern over how the matter was handled.

"Our internal investigation uncovered a significant breach of trust beyond what's outlined in the letter they published and we stand by the decision to not continue their employment," OpenAI said. The company's statement did not describe the specific conduct its investigation identified.

In their letter, Ms. Wang, Mr. Korbak, and Mr. Balesni said they were not the source of a report published last month by the news outlet The Information concerning security issues around OpenAI's latest AI model. The three argued that their abrupt dismissals could create uncertainty among remaining employees and erode the culture that had previously allowed researchers to raise safety concerns.

OpenAI pushed back on that characterization, asserting that the dismissals were not related to raising safety concerns or speaking out.

"Safety and research debates happen every day at OpenAI, often spirited and highly critical. We actively encourage these discussions and consider them essential to making the right decisions…We have not and do not terminate any of our employees for raising concerns," the company said.

The dueling statements leave the central factual question — what information was mishandled, and how — unanswered in public.

— Reuters