【AI + Talent】Core members of OpenAI’s security team are frequently leaving; Chief futurist Joshua Achiam will depart by the end of the month

Artificial intelligence (AI) giant OpenAI, as it actively prepares for its first initial public offering (IPO), has once again seen personnel changes within its internal top leadership structure. On Wednesday (the 8th), Joshua Achiam, OpenAI’s chief futurist, announced via a social platform that he will officially leave on the 24th of this month, ending a nearly 9-year career since he joined the company in 2017. The move comes at a critical moment for OpenAI as it pushes toward a valuation of over one trillion dollars, with key figures in its security and policy team set to depart again.

Now 34 years old, Joshua Achiam is a long-term core member of OpenAI. He has worked on multiple AI safety research projects and is also one of the authors of the ChatGPT-4 technical report. Joshua Achiam joined the company in 2017 as a 25-year-old intern, at a time when computers still lacked true conversational and thinking capabilities. He has witnessed AI technology’s leap forward over the past decade—like multiple centuries—and has gradually been promoted to a research scientist focused on AI safety.

Reports from overseas media say that Dean Ball, a former White House AI adviser, took office this week with the title “Head of Strategic Future,” and is expected to complete a brief handover with Joshua Achiam.

Resignation not caused by a single incident; says “the secret is widely known”

In an open letter and a post on social media, Joshua Achiam emphasized that this resignation was not driven by any specific incident, but rather a decision made after long-term reflection. “It’s just that this thought has been circling in my mind for a long time, and now the timing is right and it feels right.” He noted that as AI technology becomes widespread, the world has already fully recognized its potential—“this secret” is now widely known.

He also expressed gratitude to all colleagues and said he holds expectations for the safe development of general artificial intelligence (AGI). Joshua Achiam said that stepping out of the walls of a cutting-edge lab can continue to contribute to the mission of advancing AGI safety. He believes humanity will ultimately reach a peaceful, unprecedentedly prosperous world, and at the end of his post he concluded with “To safe AGI.”