Team Disbanded And Reassignments
OpenAI has disbanded a team that was created to communicate the company’s mission to the public and to its own employees, and the company confirmed to TechCrunch that the team’s members have been reassigned to other roles. The change was first reported by Platformer. An OpenAI spokesperson said the Mission Alignment project had served as a support function to help employees and the public understand the company’s mission and the impact of AI, and said that work continues across the organization. The spokesperson added that the rest of the group, described as six or seven people, moved into different parts of the company and are doing similar work, though the company did not say where those assignments are.
New Role For Josh Achiam
In a blog post published Wednesday, Josh Achiam, who previously led the mission alignment team, described his new role as OpenAI’s chief futurist. He wrote that his goal is to support the company’s mission by studying how the world will change in response to AI, AGI, and related technologies. Achiam said he will work with Jason Pruet, an OpenAI physicist. A company spokesperson said it was not clear whether Achiam would have a new team as part of the role and said the reorganization reflected routine changes at a fast-moving company.
Background Of The Team
Platformer reported that the mission alignment team appears to have been formed in September 2024 and that its purpose was to promote the company’s stated goal of ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. OpenAI’s spokesperson described the group as focused on explaining the mission and the impact of AI rather than setting policy.
Earlier Superalignment Group
OpenAI previously operated a superalignment team that was formed in 2023 to study long-term risks related to AI. That group was disbanded in 2024, according to the company’s prior statements.
Public Profiles And Timeline
Achiam’s personal website still lists him as head of mission alignment at OpenAI and says he is interested in ensuring that the long-term future of humanity is positive. His LinkedIn profile shows he served as head of mission alignment starting in September 2024. The company said the recent change reflects an internal reorganization rather than a shift away from the underlying work.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.