OpenAI Appoints BlackRock Executive Ogunlesi to Board

(Bloomberg) — OpenAI has appointed BlackRock Inc. executive Adebayo Ogunlesi to its board of directors, drawing on his experience investing in infrastructure as the startup pushes for more data centers and energy resources to support the development of artificial intelligence.Ogunlesi, a senior managing director and board member at BlackRock, joined the asset management firm last year after it acquired his company, Global Infrastructure Partners, for roughly $12 billion — a deal that made him a billionaire. OpenAI said Tuesday that Ogunlesi’s advice “will be invaluable as we navigate the global transformation of AI infrastructure, drive innovation, and foster economic growth.”OpenAI’s team has spent much of the past year urging the public and private sectors to support costly infrastructure projects that the ChatGPT maker believes are necessary to build more advanced AI systems. On Monday, OpenAI released a sweeping “economic blueprint” for AI, which reiterated the need for these investments to keep the US ahead of China. The San Francisco-based startup has gradually overhauled and expanded its board in the year-plus since Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman was briefly ousted. With the addition of Ogunlesi, OpenAI’s board now has 10 directors, including Altman, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, Instacart CEO Fidji Simo and retired US Army General Paul Nakasone.Ogunlesi is also joining at a pivotal moment for the company. OpenAI has previously said its board is evaluating a plan to restructure from a nonprofit research organization into a public benefit corporation. The change would be attractive to investors, but requires cooperation and coordination between the company’s board, investors and various regulators.