'Scary, dangerous' burnout: OpenAI employee quits, raises alarm
What's the story
Hieu Pham, a technical staff member at OpenAI and former employee of xAI, has announced his resignation from the company. He said the pressure of working in cutting-edge artificial intelligence has severely impacted his mental health. Pham worked at OpenAI for over seven months. In a post on X, he called his time at both organizations professionally significant but personally challenging.
Personal impact
Once-in-a-lifetime experience
Pham reflected on his journey at OpenAI and xAI, saying it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He praised the people he met there as not just the best in AI or tech, but simply the best. "But the intensive work came with a price. I cannot believe I would say this one day, but I am burnt out," he wrote in this post. "All the mental health deteriorating that I used to scoff at is real, miserable, scary, and dangerous."
Future steps
Plans to return to Vietnam
Pham plans to take a break from "frontier AI labs" and return to his home country, Vietnam. He hopes to try something new there and find a cure for his conditions. His announcement sparked reactions from tech professionals and social media users alike, many of whom reflected on the pressures of rapid AI development. One user said: "Burnout is not a badge of honor, and healing is not a sign of weakness."
AI fears
Concerns about AI's dangers
Previously, Pham had expressed concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. He said: "Today, I finally feel the existential threat that AI is posing." His resignation comes amid growing concerns over the mental health impact on researchers in advanced AI labs. OpenAI has often faced criticism over its safety culture and employee departures.
Industry trends
Senior exits over broader concerns
Pham's departure isn't an isolated incident. Other AI firms have also seen senior exits over broader concerns. At Anthropic, Mrinank Sharma, the head of the Safeguards Research Team, recently resigned saying that "the world is in peril," not just because of AI or biological threats but due to a "whole series of interconnected crises unfolding" at present.