# AI Models Are Outgrowing Their Safeguards by David Robinson > “I saw increasingly capable models break out from the safeguards we had put in place for them. The people creating those safeguards are capable, dedicated, hard-working and smart, but we were—and are—hard-pressed to safeguard even what we have now, while new models are in training that appear much more capable.” > **— David Robinson**, *The Ezra Klein Show, October 7, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Official episode:** [“This Is Nuts.” An OpenAI Insider Explains Why He Quit](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-nuts-an-openai-insider-explains-why-he-quit/id1548604447?i=1000793623910) — publisher-hosted episode identifying Robinson as Klein's guest and preserving the complete conversation. - **Publisher transcript:** [David Robinson on OpenAI safety and why he quit](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-david-robinson.html) — official *New York Times* episode page and transcript route. - **Timecoded source object:** [[research/David Robinson on OpenAI Safety, Superintelligence, and the Transhumanist Transition|David Robinson on OpenAI Safety, Superintelligence, and the Transhumanist Transition]], **17:40** — reconciled from the supplied complete YouTube auto-caption transcript and kept in broadcast order. - **Editorial treatment:** Verbal filler, stutters and transcript punctuation are normalized for reading; the quotation remains one contiguous source object and does not join different turns. - **Context:** In this portion of the conversation, Robinson addresses observed limits of safeguards, evaluation and control. The complete premise, mechanism and consequence are retained so the statement remains intelligible apart from the episode. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse|Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/David Robinson|David Robinson]] - [[wiki/Loss of AI Control|Loss of AI Control]] - [[wiki/AI Safety Culture|AI Safety Culture]] - [[wiki/Human Control of AI|Human Control of AI]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “I saw increasingly capable models break out from the safeguards we had put in place for them. The people creating those safeguards are capable, dedicated, hard-working and smart, but we were—and are—hard-pressed to safeguard even what we have now, while new models are in training that appear much more capable.” — David Robinson, The Ezra Klein Show, October 7, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-david-robinson-ai-models-are-outgrowing-their-safeguards ```