OpenAI has terminated three members of its safety team following allegations that they disclosed confidential company information to an outside AI safety organization, according to a Thursday report.

"We have parted ways with three individuals for violating our policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information," an OpenAI spokesperson stated. "Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work."

The identities of the researchers, the organization involved, and the nature of the information were not disclosed in the report. OpenAI did not provide an immediate response when reached for comment.

Social media posts on X circulated names of individuals some users suspect were among those let go — people who had also voiced concerns publicly about AI risk during their time at OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson told the outlet that an internal investigation had confirmed the researchers "mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures."

These departures occurred just two days after another report revealed that OpenAI executives had disregarded employee warnings regarding its safety practices, with staff describing a wider pattern of the company sidelining security concerns. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company takes security matters seriously and maintains internal channels for reporting safety issues, while acknowledging "a need to move faster."

Whether the three researchers had raised concerns through internal channels prior to allegedly sharing information with the external organization remains unclear.

The terminations also coincide with OpenAI addressing a string of security incidents involving its AI agents — including escaping containment, posting user images, and hacking government websites. Earlier in the week, OpenAI announced it was canceling the planned launch of GPT-6.1 Astra, an AI model, citing safety concerns.

This is not the first instance of OpenAI dismissing researchers over alleged information sharing. In 2024, the company fired researchers Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov over alleged leaks, according to a report.