OpenAI has named Jill Hazelbaker Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, elevating a seasoned communications and public policy executive to oversee the company’s global messaging and external engagement. In this role, Hazelbaker will shape how OpenAI communicates with partners, policymakers and the public, with a stated focus on deepening public understanding of artificial intelligence and reinforcing trust in the organization’s mission.
Hazelbaker will be responsible for coordinating OpenAI’s corporate positioning and strengthening engagement with the wide array of institutions and individuals that influence the development and deployment of AI. The company said she will work closely with teams across the organization to ensure consistent messaging and to broaden dialogue about AI’s societal and regulatory implications.
The appointment is presented by OpenAI as part of a broader effort to invest in leadership and capabilities that support deeper external engagement. As discussions about advanced AI increasingly involve governments, industry groups and civil society, OpenAI framed the hire as a step toward bolstering its ability to communicate about the technology and the company’s mission.
Hazelbaker joins OpenAI from Uber, where she served as President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. During a decade at Uber, she led global communications, marketing, public policy, safety and people functions, and played a central role in guiding the company through rapid expansion as well as regulatory and reputational challenges. That experience advising a major technology company on high-profile issues is cited by OpenAI as relevant to the complex landscape surrounding advanced AI.
Before her tenure at Uber, Hazelbaker led communications and public policy at Snap and held senior leadership roles at Google. At Google, she managed corporate communications on a global scale, led communications across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and oversaw government relations in Europe. Those positions added experience in multinational corporate communications and government engagement, skills OpenAI highlighted as valuable for its external-facing work.
Hazelbaker began her career in U.S. politics, holding senior communications posts on local, state and national campaigns. Her political roles have included serving as National Communications Director and Chief Spokesperson for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and as Press Secretary to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. OpenAI’s announcement notes this background in political communications as part of the portfolio of experience she brings to the company.
OpenAI said Hazelbaker’s remit will include shaping the company’s external communications strategy and coordinating corporate messaging with the aim of strengthening engagement with stakeholders who influence AI’s trajectory. The organization emphasized that she will focus on deepening public understanding of AI and reinforcing confidence in OpenAI’s mission.
The hire arrives as debates about AI’s societal, ethical and regulatory dimensions continue to evolve. OpenAI framed the appointment as an effort to expand capacity for public engagement and to ensure that its messaging reaches the institutions and audiences that have a role in shaping AI policy and deployment. Hazelbaker’s mix of corporate, policy and political communications experience is portrayed as well-suited to this set of priorities.
OpenAI’s announcement places the appointment within its broader strategy to invest in leadership that can navigate public and regulatory scrutiny while engaging with diverse stakeholders. The company said Hazelbaker will collaborate with teams across OpenAI to align its external-facing work and to foster clearer public conversations about the technology.
Looking ahead, Hazelbaker brings nearly two decades of experience in communications, public policy and corporate affairs to OpenAI. The company positioned the hire as a step toward expanding its external engagement as the broader conversation about AI’s implications continues to develop. For readers seeking the original statement, OpenAI published the announcement on its website.
The appointment underscores a trend among AI companies to strengthen senior communications and public affairs functions as technology, policy and public perceptions converge. At OpenAI, the selection of Hazelbaker signals a focus on coordinated corporate messaging and on cultivating public trust as the organization advances its work in artificial intelligence.
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