OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks in Washington, DC on July 22, 2025.
Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
A senior member of OpenAI’s robotics team has resigned, citing concerns about how the company has proceeded with its recently announced partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Caitlin Kalinowski, a former technical staff member specializing in robotics and hardware, posted on social media that she resigned in “principles” after the company revealed plans to make its AI systems available within the Department of Defense’s secure computing systems.
The agreement is part of a broader push by the U.S. government to incorporate advanced AI tools into national security operations, a trend that has sparked debate across the tech industry about surveillance and permissible uses.
In a public post explaining his decision, Kalinowski wrote, “I have resigned from OpenAI. I deeply care for the robotics team and the work we have created together. This was not an easy decision to make.”
He said that until OpenAI announced its agreement with the Department of Defense, policy guardrails around specific AI uses were not well defined. “AI plays a critical role in national security,” Kalinowski wrote. “But American surveillance without judicial oversight, and deadly autonomy without human permission, is a policy that deserves more thought than they have received.”
Kalinowski also cited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, saying, “I have deep respect for Sam and the team, and I’m proud of what we built together,” stressing that his concerns were with the process, not with specific executives within the company.
An OpenAI spokesperson told NPR that the company believes the agreement with the Department of Defense “creates a viable pathway for the responsible national security use of AI, while clarifying the red line between no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons.”
Additionally, the company said, “We recognize that people have strong opinions on these issues, and we will continue to engage in discussions with our employees, governments, civil society, and communities around the world.”
Kalinowski’s resignation comes amid increasing competition among major artificial intelligence developers to supply technology to the U.S. government. Federal agencies have turned their attention to OpenAI and Google for AI systems in recent weeks amid heightened tensions with rival company Anthropic over the military use of its models.
Anthropic’s CEO has voiced opposition to allowing the company’s software to be used for applications such as domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, a stance that has put him at odds with defense officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has said they need flexibility to deploy commercial AI tools in all “legal” operations.
Kalinowski’s role within OpenAI focused on building the robotics organization as the company scaled. She wrote on her LinkedIn profile that this includes hiring to support the company’s expansion into AI efforts related to physical infrastructure and machinery.
Ms. Kalinowski indicated that she intended to continue working in the same field. “It’s taken some time, but we remain very focused on building responsible physics AI,” she wrote.
