OpenAI appoints George Osborne to head global OpenAI for Countries push

OpenAI has appointed former UK finance minister George Osborne as managing director and head of its OpenAI for Countries initiative, the company said on Tuesday, as the ChatGPT maker accelerates its engagement with governments on national artificial intelligence strategies. Osborne, who served as Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer between 2010 and 2016, will assume the role in January and will be responsible for overseeing the global expansion of OpenAI for Countries, the company stated.

OpenAI for Countries is positioned as an international extension of the $500 billion Stargate initiative, which aims to build large-scale data centre infrastructure in the United States, according to a Reuters report. Through the programme, OpenAI seeks to partner with governments to develop AI systems aligned with democratic values while supporting local innovation ecosystems, education frameworks and digital infrastructure, the company informed.

OpenAI also said Osborne is expected to take part in the company’s event at the World Economic Forum in Davos next month. The appointment highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence as a pillar of national infrastructure and reflects the increasing geopolitical importance of how AI technologies are developed, deployed and governed worldwide.