OpenAI Eliminates Dedicated Ethicist Role Amid Safety Team Exits

The head ethicist at OpenAI, Chloé Bakalar, departed the company in July 2026 after less than one year in the role. Bakalar was reportedly the organization's only dedicated ethicist, and the company has no plans to replace her directly.

Her exit follows a pattern of leadership churn within safety and alignment divisions, including the departures of Johannes Heidecke, head of safety systems, and Joshua Achiam, chief futurist. In response to these exits, OpenAI is reorganizing its safety operations by moving responsibility away from standalone teams and integrating these functions directly into the research and engineering teams building the models.

An OpenAI spokesperson stated that AI ethics does not belong to a single individual or team, but is instead embedded across various research teams throughout the model-building process. This restructuring occurs as the company manages the delayed release of its Astra model, which reportedly triggered internal cybersecurity precautions due to its advanced capabilities. Meanwhile, CEO Sam Altman has asserted that humanity has entered the singularity.