OpenAI Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam to Leave After 9 Years
量子位 · wechat · 2026-07-08
OpenAI Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam announced he will leave on July 24, concluding a 9-year tenure. Joining as a 25-year-old intern, he initially focused on AI safety research before leading the Mission Alignment team. After the team was dissolved in February, he transitioned to Chief Futurist, studying the risks and opportunities of AI proliferation while advocating for government regulation aligned with the company's mission. Achiam noted that his departure was the result of long, careful deliberation rather than a specific event, and he remains committed to the goal of "safe AGI."
The article also revisited a past incident: during a 2018 farewell speech, Achiam interrupted Elon Musk, arguing that Musk's plan to develop AGI at Tesla might compromise safety. Musk called him a "jackass" on the spot, but Dario Amodei and others later awarded him a golden trophy engraved with, "For safety, never stop being that jackass."
Following the previous departures of several OpenAI safety leads, including Jan Leike and Miles Brundage, external scrutiny over the direction of OpenAI's safety initiatives remains high. The company has not yet named a successor.
Related event: OpenAI Veteran and Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam Announces Departure(8 posts)→
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