May 30 (Reuters) - OpenAI's board on Thursday pushed

back on allegations from its former members that concerns over

artificial intelligence safety at the startup necessitated Sam

Altman's shocking ouster last year.

OpenAI's board members in an article published in the

Economist said the review into the events found the previous

board's decision did not arise out of concerns over the pace of

AI development or statements made to the startup's investors,

customers or business partners, among others.

"In six months of nearly daily contact with the company, we

have found Altman highly forthcoming on all relevant issues and

consistently collegial with his management team," it said.

Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, who had left the board in

November when Altman returned as CEO, had told the Economist in

an invitation piece on Sunday that they stood by the decision to

dismiss Altman, given the board's duty to "provide independent

oversight and protect the company's public-interest mission."

They also said that developments since their departure bode

ill for OpenAI's experiment in self-governance, pointing to

Altman's return to the Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed startup's

board, as well as the departure of senior safety-focused talent.

OpenAI's board, chaired by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret

Taylor, said it agreed with Toner and McCauley's view that AI

requires effective regulation and added that the ChatGPT maker

has held talks with government officials on various issues

surrounding generative AI.

OpenAI said on Tuesday it formed a safety and security

committee that will be led by board members as it begins

training its next AI model.