Caitlin Kalinowski resigned as OpenAI’s robotics hardware lead, citing the company’s partnership with the Department of Defense. OpenAI confirmed the resignation and stated there are no plans to replace her.
Kalinowski’s departure represents a high-profile internal objection to OpenAI’s national security strategy. The company’s agreement with the Pentagon aims to establish a responsible path for AI applications in defense, though it has drawn scrutiny over governance and ethical boundaries.
Kalinowski previously worked at Meta and joined OpenAI in late 2024. She announced her resignation in a post on X, criticizing the company’s haste in partnering with the DoD without establishing proper guardrails.
I resigned from OpenAI. I care deeply about the Robotics team and the work we built together. This wasn’t an easy call. AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are…
— Caitlin Kalinowski (@kalinowski007) March 7, 2026
She stated that the announcement was rushed and lacked defined safeguards. Kalinowski described the situation as a “governance concern first and foremost.”
Kalinowski wrote that “surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.” She explained these concerns in response to another post on the platform.
OpenAI issued a statement to Engadget addressing the resignation. The company said it understands people have “strong views” about these issues and will continue engaging in discussions with relevant parties.
OpenAI stated it does not support the issues Kalinowski raised. The company’s statement read, “We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he would amend the deal with the DoD to prohibit spying on Americans. The decision to sign the DoD agreement came after Anthropic refused to lift certain AI guardrails around mass surveillance and developing fully autonomous weapons.
