OpenAI head of ethics Chloé Bakalar departs after brief tenure

### OpenAI Ethics Chief Chloé Bakalar Leaves Company After Less Than a Year

Chloé Bakalar, who served as head of ethics at OpenAI, has left the artificial intelligence company after less than a year in the role. Her departure represents another high-profile exit from OpenAI’s research and safety operations as the company continues to restructure its teams. According to reports, Bakalar left the company last month after joining in August 2025. Before moving to OpenAI, she served as chief ethicist at Meta from November 2021 through August 2025. During her time at OpenAI, Bakalar worked on ethical approaches to AI model development and examined questions surrounding human interaction with artificial intelligence. Her work also included discussions about machine consciousness and the broader societal implications of increasingly advanced AI systems. A person familiar with her position reportedly said Bakalar was OpenAI’s only dedicated ethicist and that the company does not currently plan to appoint a direct replacement. OpenAI, however, said ethical considerations remain an important part of its model-development process. A company spokesperson expressed appreciation for Bakalar’s contributions and emphasized that AI ethics is not the responsibility of a single individual or team. The company said ethical issues are considered across multiple research groups involved in developing and evaluating its AI models. Bakalar’s departure comes during a period of broader changes within OpenAI’s safety and research divisions. Johannes Heidecke, who led the company’s Safety Systems team, and Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam have also recently left the organization. OpenAI has undergone repeated restructuring since ChatGPT became a global phenomenon in late 2022. The company has rapidly evolved from a research-focused artificial intelligence laboratory into one of the world’s most prominent commercial AI companies. That transformation has brought increased attention to how OpenAI organizes its research, safety and ethics functions. Bakalar’s appointment had reflected a broader trend among major technology companies to bring academic philosophers and social scientists into AI development teams. These specialists have increasingly been asked to examine the social, political and ethical consequences of advanced AI systems. Before entering the technology industry, Bakalar established a strong academic career. She holds a PhD in Political Science and Government from the University of Pennsylvania, where her doctoral research examined speech and democratic life. She has also held academic positions at Temple University, Princeton University and University College London. Bakalar additionally serves on the advisory council of the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy. In a March interview with IE Insights, she argued that AI governance should involve a much broader section of society. She warned against allowing a small number of extremely powerful technology companies to determine rules for technologies that could affect billions of people worldwide. Her departure has renewed attention on how AI companies should structure independent ethics and safety oversight. Some technology firms have created dedicated ethics positions, while others have chosen to distribute ethical review across research, engineering and policy teams. For OpenAI, the decision not to immediately replace its head of ethics suggests that the company may continue integrating ethical considerations throughout its broader development and safety operations. The departure comes as the industry faces growing pressure to ensure that rapid advances in artificial intelligence are matched by effective oversight and responsible development.