At OpenAI, No Dedicated AI Ethics Expert Remains

Chloe Bakalar's Exit and the Changing OpenAI Landscape

According to НВ — Техно: OpenAI, one of the leading AI developers, is under close scrutiny over how it handles safety and ethics. It now has no dedicated AI ethics specialist after Chloe Bakalar, its chief ethicist, left in July. According to the Financial Times, no successor has been named, and Bakalar was the only person at OpenAI with a standalone ethics role. She had joined the company in August 2025 from Meta, where she served as chief ethicist and managed AI ethics policy for Instagram and Facebook.

At OpenAI, Bakalar's work focused on ethical frameworks for model development, human-AI interaction, and the question of whether machines might one day become conscious. She often stressed that large language models are prediction systems rather than entities capable of feeling emotions. In 2023, she described the arrival of consciousness in large language models as a distant prospect.

Broader Team Changes at OpenAI

Other summer exits at OpenAI included Johannes Heidecke, head of Safety Systems, and Joshua Achiam, a safety specialist. During a late-July podcast appearance, Sam Altman said humanity is already in an era of singularity and called it potentially very positive. That same month, chief scientific officer Mark Chen said the company wants to embed safety directly into the development process for advanced models, with safety considerations weighed early and shaping decisions about models, products, and releases.

OpenAI has acknowledged Bakalar's contributions but has not said whether it plans to fill her role. A company spokesperson said AI ethics is not tied to a single individual or team; instead, different departments consider ethics implications while developing models.

These staffing changes could signal a shift in how OpenAI approaches AI ethics and safety. As scrutiny of AI ethics grows, integrating these issues early in development is increasingly seen as critical. The absence of a dedicated ethics specialist could complicate OpenAI's ability to manage risks and respond to the challenges of rapid technological development, which in turn could shape public trust in its products.

The recent departure of key figures at OpenAI, including Chloe Bakalar, has raised concerns about the company's commitment to ethical AI development. This follows another significant change in leadership, as OpenAI's second-in-command has also stepped down due to health issues. To understand the broader implications of these staffing shifts, including their potential impact on AI ethics and safety, read more about the latest developments here.