OpenAI hires its first chief economist

OpenAI has hired its first chief economist: Aaron Chatterji, formerly the chief economist at the Commerce Department under President Joe Biden and a senior economist in President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Chatterji, who’s also a professor of business and public policy at Duke, will study AI’s economic impacts at OpenAI, leading research into how AI might influence economic growth and job prospects.

Notably, Chatterji helped to coordinate the Biden administration’s implementation of the 2022 CHIPS Act, which authorized roughly $280 billion in funding for the development of computer chips in the U.S. His understanding of the project — and political connections — could help OpenAI as it undertakes chip design efforts of its own.

Chatterji wasn’t OpenAI’s only high-profile hire today. The company also appointed Scott Schools, former associate deputy attorney general and Uber’s compliance head, as its new chief compliance officer. He’ll work with OpenAI’s board and teams across the company on legal requirements and ethics, OpenAI said.