'We don't understand the consequences' -  Why I quit OpenAI - The Sunday Story

'We don't understand the consequences' -  Why I quit OpenAI - The Sunday Story

Author: The Times February 15, 2026 Duration: 34:33

AI researcher Zoe Hitzig quit her job at OpenAI this week over “deep reservations” about the company’s strategy, including their decision to pilot running ads on ChatGPT. In a rare interview, she gives her reasons for leaving the industry - a world with access to "an unprecedented archive of human candour". Meanwhile, another AI researcher, this time at Anthropic, also quit with a the stark warning that "the world is in peril". They just the latest in a series of high profile resignations. So what's going on - and what are the big fears for a world increasingly dominated by AI?




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Guests:

  • Zoe Hitzig, former AI researcher at OpenAI.
  • Mark Sellman,Technology Correspondent for the Times.


Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: ‘The world is in peril’: AI researchers quit with public warnings

Photo: Getty Images.

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