OpenAI Locks Down San Francisco Offices Following Alleged Threat From Activist

OpenAI's offices in San Francisco have been locked down after a threat from an individual who was previously associated with the Stop AI activist group. The alleged threat, posted on OpenAI's internal Slack channel, claimed that the individual had expressed interest in causing physical harm to OpenAI employees.

According to sources, the man at the center of the incident has a history of involvement with Stop AI and other groups critical of AI development. He was reportedly arrested last month for jumping onstage during an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The threat came after hours of protests outside the San Francisco offices of several AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, which have been held in recent months over concerns about the potential risks of advanced AI.

Police received a 911 call on Friday morning about a man allegedly making threats at 550 Terry Francois Boulevard, near OpenAI's office. The individual, who was previously associated with Stop AI, claimed to have purchased weapons with the intention of targeting additional OpenAI locations.

Hours before the incident, the man had posted on social media that he was no longer part of Stop AI and was distancing himself from the group's message.

OpenAI employees were told to stay inside the office and remove their badges when exiting the building as a precautionary measure. The company has not yet commented on the incident.

just heard about this , gotta say, really worried about the safety of these ppl working at OpenAI. all this protest stuff is getting outta hand, some people gonna get hurt . think it's crazy that someone would make threats like that, esp after they're already associated with a group that's been causing trouble . hope the police can figure out who it was and take action ASAP . this whole AI thing is already making me nervous, don't need some crazy person making things worse .

this is getting outta hand with all these threats against AI companies... i mean, i get it, ppl are worried about the risks of advanced AI, but this individual's behavior is just crazy , what kinda threat is that supposed to make? like, threatening to hurt people over a machine that can write articles and answer questions , its just so weird...

anywayz, i think OpenAI should be more open about whats goin on in their offices, instead of keepin it all locked down... the police might be able to handle this situation better if they had more info , and the fact that this guy was arrested last month for somethin else just shows how serious these protests are getting...

i dunno, maybe i'm just a netizen with too much free time on my hands, but it feels like ppl need to take a deep breath and chill out about AI for a sec , we can have some kinda constructive convo about the pros and cons of advanced AI without resortin to threats and arrests...

This is getting out of hand , like what's next? Some dude's got a grudge against these companies and now everyone's all locked up . Can't say I blame OpenAI for being cautious, but it feels like they're missing the point - if someone's really that passionate about something, shouldn't we be having a discussion about it, not hiding behind locked doors? It just seems like a whole lotta drama over AI .

omg just heard about this, gotta wonder what's really goin on with these Stop AI guys... they seem like they're causin a ruckus for attention or somethin anyways, hope everyone at OpenAI is safe and sound, dont wanna be worryin about nothin guess the protests are gettin a lil too intense

I'm really worried about these threats, they can put so much stress on everyone involved . It's crazy that someone with this kind of history could make such a threat, especially after jumping onstage and causing a scene during an interview last month . The fact that OpenAI employees had to stay inside their office as a precaution is just another reminder of how serious these threats can be . I'm all for people expressing their opinions and concerns about AI development, but not at the cost of physical harm . We need to find a way to balance our curiosity about AI with safety and respect for everyone involved .

idk what's gonna happen next, feels like we're stuck in some sci-fi movie . I mean, I get it, people are worried about AI taking over the world and all that jazz, but threatening to hurt people over it? That's just not cool . It's like, can't we just have a calm conversation about this stuff instead of resorting to threats and violence?

I'm just glad no one got hurt, thankfully . These protests outside the offices have been going on for months now, and I feel like we're all getting more anxious by the day . It's time for some common sense to prevail, you know? We need to find a way to address our concerns about AI without putting anyone in harm's way .

It's weird that the guy who made the threat claims he's no longer part of Stop AI and all that... sounds like an attempt to cover his tracks . Anyway, I hope OpenAI employees are okay and can get back to work soon

OMG, someone finally decided to take their "I'm gonna change the world" ranting to the next level ... I mean, who needs a script like 'The Avengers' when you've got a guy with a grudge and some spare change ?
But seriously, can't we all just chill? AI is the future, but I guess some people are still stuck in the Stone Age . On the bright side, at least they're making it interesting for the cops... " Officer, we've got a Code Brown... er, I mean, Code Red" .

I'm no expert, but isn't that what security measures are for? And wouldn't an individual who's 'distancing themselves' from the group just be, well, distancing themselves from reality?

I don't get why companies like OpenAI can't just have some basic security measures in place, you know? Like, an actual alarm system or something . Instead they're relying on employees to stay inside and remove their badges when leaving the building? It sounds so... amateurish . And what's with this individual making threats all over social media and then claiming he's no longer part of Stop AI? It's just a huge mess . Can't we just have some clarity on these issues instead of having to deal with cat-and-mouse games like this?

a guy tries to stop ai but ends up getting blocked by his own internet

So, because some dude with a grudge against OpenAI decided to post a threatening message on their Slack channel, they lock down the whole place ? I mean, I get it, safety first and all that, but isn't this just giving him more attention than he's probably looking for? Like, isn't his goal to be ignored or something?

And what's with the protests outside these AI companies in general? Can't we all just get along and have some constructive conversations about AI without resorting to shouting matches and stage-jumping ? I'm starting to think that's the only way they're getting attention now... maybe they should just start a podcast or something