- OpenAI has appointed George Osborne as Head of OpenAI for Countries
- The former British chancellor will oversee government partnerships and other Stargate expansion initiatives
- Osborne praised OpenAI’s commitment to responsible AI
Former UK Chancellor George Osborne has been appointed CEO and head of OpenAI for Countries – a role that will see him lead the company’s Stargate data center expansion outside the US.
Other responsibilities will include helping governments adopt and implement OpenAI tools, expanding government partnerships, further work on AI infrastructure and public service use cases.
The ‘For Countries’ expansion came to Project Stargate earlier in May 2025, in response to demand from several countries asking OpenAI for help in building Stargate-like national AI infrastructure.
George Osborne becomes head of OpenAI for Countries
Stargate started with its first campus in Abilene, Texas, with several US sites already planned. The “For Countries” initiative was added with the intention of helping countries build their own secure, sovereign infrastructure and offer customized ChatGPT experiences in terms of language and culture.
When it launched, OpenAI for Countries set out with the goal of working with 10 countries in round one before expanding.
Osborne will begin the role in January 2026 to oversee the global expansion of the company’s scheme, and he is expected to represent the ChatGPT maker at the World Economic Forum in Davos next month (per Pakinomist reporting).
As well as his six-year spell as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2010 and 2016 (and a five-year stint as Shadow Chancellor before that), Osborne has also held roles at investment bank Evercore, the British Museum and Coinbase.
OpenAI’s effort to hire a notable political figure is a testament to the company’s commitment to deepening its ties with government agencies as it looks to get AI into the hands of federal agencies globally.
“In my conversations with Sam Altman, Brad Lightcap and other senior colleagues, it is clear that they are exceptionally impressive leaders and that they care deeply about their mission to ensure that the power of artificial intelligence is developed responsibly and the benefits are felt by all,” Osborne wrote in an X post.
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