OpenAI introduces Chief Futurist role, appoints Josh Achiam
Long-time researcher Josh Achiam to lead foresight work, joined by physicist Jason Pruet.
OpenAI has introduced a Chief Futurist role and named long-time researcher Josh Achiam to the position on 11 February 2026, according to the company’s Global Affairs newsletter. Achiam, who has spent more than eight years at the company, previously served as a research scientist in AI safety and most recently led Mission Alignment. The remit, as described by the company, is to study how artificial intelligence and artificial general intelligence could reshape society, then share analysis that helps institutions prepare.
Mandate and early priorities
In his introductory note, Achiam outlined the brief as seeing around corners, equipping people, scientists, and policymakers with timely analysis, and accelerating positive trends by surfacing credible opportunities. A near-term theme is test time compute, described as allocating more computation at inference so that models can think longer, a shift with implications for market competition, capital allocation, scientific progress, and contests between nations.
Achiam will be joined by physicist Jason Pruet, who has worked across US National Labs, the Department of Energy and the Intelligence Community. The team intends to publish ideas and convene expert communities through the OpenAI Forum, which the newsletter says brings together more than 60,000 experts and enthusiasts from technology, science, medicine, education, government, and other fields.
How will the Chief Futurist engage with policymakers
Achiam framed the role as a bridge between fast-moving research and public-interest decision-making. The aim, he wrote, is to provide practical analysis early so that governments and institutions can learn by doing rather than wait for full consensus. The team also plans to surface where AI can improve services, research and security, while mapping failure modes that warrant safeguards.
Context and organisational changes
The appointment coincides with a broader reorganisation of OpenAI’s mission alignment work, as per media reports. Several employees have been reassigned internally. The new futurist function is intended to concentrate foresight and external engagement, according to the company’s update.
OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, has increasingly paired product launches with policy frameworks and safety guidance. The newsletter also highlights steps linked to Safer Internet Day across the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and India. According to the company, current measures include age-prediction systems that help apply age-appropriate protections, an U18 Model Specification that sets expectations for how AI systems should interact with minors, and parental controls that give families meaningful oversight.
Security lens and next steps
The same update flags a new assessment on international security that Achiam has co-authored with colleagues including Anna Makanju, Jason Pruet, and Jonathan Reiber, introduced by Sasha Baker, Head of National Security Policy. The paper argues that the unusually wide band of uncertainty around AI’s real-world impact is itself a strategic risk. It contends that states which integrate AI into scientific research, logistics, intelligence analysis, operational planning, and decision support could gain decisive advantages.
Looking ahead, the futurist team plans to publish analysis regularly and convene debates through the forum, according to the company.