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OpenAI's Only Ethicist Reportedly Left Last Month

gizmodo.com

August 11, 2026

3 min read

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68/100

Summary

Chloé Bakalar, OpenAI's head ethicist, left the company in July after being hired in August of the previous year. Bakalar previously served as Meta's chief ethicist and focused on ethical approaches to model development and human interaction with AI.

Key Takeaways

OpenAI's head ethicist, Chloé Bakalar, left the company in July and has not been replaced, leaving OpenAI without a dedicated ethicist.
Bakalar previously worked as Meta's chief ethicist and focused on ethical approaches to model development and human-AI interaction.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that humanity is currently in the technological singularity, a shift from his earlier, more cautious views.
OpenAI plans to delay the release of a new model, Astra, amid ongoing discussions about AI safety and regulation with policymakers.

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Coverage & discussions

Hacker News · gizmodo.com

OpenAI's Only Ethicist Reportedly Left Last Month ↗

Community discussions

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Analysis ready

Community Sentiment

Negative

Positives

Some users are surprised OpenAI even had an ethicist at all, hinting at a low expectation for ethical oversight in AI companies.

Concerns

The departure of the only ethicist raises alarms about OpenAI's commitment to ethical considerations, with many suggesting they now mirror other companies lacking ethical guidance.
Commenters criticize the idea that companies expect employees to independently navigate ethical dilemmas, suggesting a systemic failure in corporate ethics.