‘About principle, not people’: OpenAI’s robotics chief resigns over Pentagon AI contract | Technology News

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 8, 2026 10:51 AM OpenAI’s head of robotics has left the company, citing concerns over the ChatGPT maker’s new contract with the US Department ‌of Defence for the military use of its AI models and tools.
Caitlin Kalinowski, who has worked as OpenAI’s head of robotics and consumer hardware, announced that she has resigned in a social media post on X on Saturday, March 7. Kalinowski said she quit because OpenAI did not take enough time before agreeing to deploy its AI models ​on the Pentagon’s classified cloud networks.
“AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got,” Kalinowski wrote.
“This was about principle, not people. I have deep respect for Sam and the team, and I’m proud of what we built together,” she added.
Kalinowski’s departure comes amid a high-stakes dispute over how far AI companies should go in supporting US military uses of the technology. A few days ago, Anthropic’s contract with the US Defence Department was terminated after CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down on ‘red lines’ or restrictions of the company’s AI products being used for domestic surveillance in the US and to power fully autonomous armed drones.

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
Soon after, OpenAI reached its own agreement with the Defense Department to deploy its models on a classified government network. This, in turn, drew criticism from ChatGPT users as well as some OpenAI staff, who argued that the deal made it appear that OpenAI had accepted terms that Anthropic had declined.
Later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that they shouldn’t have rushed to announce the deal as it looked “opportunic”. The company has since moved to clarify restrictions on how its systems can be used the military.

“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. We recognize that people have strong views about these issues and we will continue to engage in discussion with employees, government, civil society and communities around the world,” an OpenAI spokesperson was quoted as saying Fortune.Story continues below this ad
Who is Kalinowski?
Before being hired OpenAI in November 2024, Kalinowski worked at Meta as a hardware executive for nearly two and a half years. She reportedly led the social media giant’s development of the highly advanced Orion AR glasses, previously codenamed ‘Project Nazare’. Meta unveiled a prototype of the Orion glasses in September 2025.
At Meta, Kalinowski was also involved in developing Meta’s virtual reality Oculus headsets for more than nine years. She also worked at Apple for nearly six years, helping to design MacBooks, including Pro and Air models. Her exit could be a setback to OpenAI, which is working on rolling out its first AI dedicated consumer hardware, developed in collaboration with former Apple designer Jony Ive, the end of 2026.