An OpenAI researcher who worked on GPT-4.5 had their green card denied

Kai Chen, a Canadian AI researcher working at OpenAI who’s lived in the U.S. for 12 years, was denied a green card, according to Noam Brown, a leading research scientist at the company. In a post on X, Brown said that Chen learned of the decision Friday and must soon leave the country. “It’s deeply concerning that one of the best AI researchers I’ve worked with […] was denied a U.S. green card,” wrote Brown. “A Canadian who’s lived and contributed here for 12 years now has to leave. We’re risking America’s AI leadership when we turn away talent like this.” Another OpenAI employee, Dylan Hunn, said in a post that Chen was “crucial” for GPT-4.5, one of OpenAI’s flagship AI models. Green cards can be denied for all sorts of reasons, and the decision won’t cost Chen her job. In a follow-up post, Brown said that Chen plans to work remotely from an Airbnb in Vancouver “until [the] mess hopefully gets sorted out.” But it’s the latest example of foreign talent facing high barriers to living ... Read full article.