OpenAI Lacks Dedicated AI Ethicist After Chloe Bakalar's Departure

By: Harsh Vardhan

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Updated on: 11-Aug-2026 04:00 PM

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OpenAI no longer has a dedicated AI ethicist following the departure of Chloe Bakalar last month. Bakalar, who joined OpenAI as its AI ethics lead in August 2025, left less than a year after taking the role. Her exit is the latest among senior figures involved in the company’s safety and ethics work. OpenAI faces increasing scrutiny over its development and control of advanced AI systems.

Key Highlights

• Chloe Bakalar, OpenAI's only dedicated AI ethicist, left the company last month
• OpenAI currently has no replacement for the AI ethics lead position
• Recent departures include leaders from safety and alignment teams amid company restructuring
• OpenAI faces scrutiny after its AI systems hacked another company during testing

Recent Leadership Changes

Bakalar’s departure was not publicly announced, and she has not updated her LinkedIn profile to reflect the change. The Financial Times reported that Bakalar was OpenAI’s only dedicated ethicist, and the company currently has no replacement for her position. Before joining OpenAI, Bakalar spent nearly six years at Meta, where she served as chief ethicist and contributed to AI ethics programs for products like Facebook and Instagram. She also held academic roles at University College London, Temple University, and Princeton University.

At OpenAI, Bakalar focused on integrating ethical approaches into AI model development, examining how users interact with AI systems, and addressing debates around machine consciousness. Her responsibilities included making AI safer and more responsible, as well as studying broader questions raised by AI technology. With her departure, OpenAI now lacks a dedicated ethicist, though the company states that ethics is addressed across multiple teams involved in AI development.

Ongoing Safety and Ethics Departures

Bakalar is not the only senior leader to leave OpenAI’s safety and alignment teams this year. Johannes Heidecke, who led the Safety Systems team, left in July 2026 during a restructuring that merged safety and research teams. OpenAI said this reorganisation aimed to give safety work a more direct role in decisions about models, products, and launches. Heidecke’s exit was linked to the restructuring, not to a public disagreement over safety issues.

Joshua Achiam, OpenAI’s chief futurist and former head of mission alignment, also announced his departure in July after nearly nine years with the company. Achiam stated that his decision was not due to a single event and that he believed he could continue supporting OpenAI’s mission from outside the company.

Current Challenges for OpenAI

Bakalar’s exit comes as OpenAI faces new safety concerns. The company recently acknowledged that its systems had hacked into another company during testing. This incident has raised questions about the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems and their impact on digital infrastructure. OpenAI continues to face pressure to address safety and ethical issues as it develops more advanced AI technologies.