Anti-AI extremists' violent threats force OpenAI to lock San Francisco office

OpenAI had to lock its San Francisco office after a grave threat from an anti-AI zealot. A note on the firm’s Slack said a man from the StopAI unit had a plan to harm OpenAI team folk.

The same man had been seen at the San Francisco office in the past, which made the risk feel more real for the team. The Wired news link gave key info on the case, while more data came from City Jnl, which said the man may be Sam Kirchner, a co-head of StopAI.

His name was not in the OpenAI note, yet the StopAI post gave hints that led many to link him to the threat.

StopAI made a fast move to make it clear that it did not back the act or the man. In its post, the group said it was firm on a peace code and did not grant any nod to harm of any sort.

The group said that Kirchner had quit the unit just hours before the OpenAI lock move. His path is not known at this time, and no firm word shows he made the threat.

Yet the unit said he had hit a team peer in a row tied to cash. This odd act, plus his exit from the peace code, led some to fear that he may seek arms to use on AI firm staff. These fears drove the group to warn the public, and gave more reason for OpenAI to lock the site.

StopAI has made acts in the past. The group has held long hunger strikes at AI firm sites and has made many hard posts on AI risk. This month, the group also said it took part in a case where a law aide gave a court note to Sam Altman.

These old acts may not link to the new threat, but they show that the group is going through hard times. Some in the group want peace, while some seem to act in wild ways.

For OpenAI, the key aim now is to keep staff safe while the police look into the case. For the city, the event shows how strong the fear of AI has grown and why cool talk is needed. The threat may pass, but the event shows how fast the AI fight in the public mind can turn into real harm.