Dr. Ronnie Chatterji named OpenAI’s first Chief Economist

OpenAI appointed Ronnie Chatterji as its first Chief Economist on October 22, 2024, to study AI’s effects on growth, job creation, and labor markets. The post states he previously helped execute the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act and served as Chief Economist at the US Department of Commerce. This is not a model launch; it is a new formal role at OpenAI’s economics-policy interface.

Why it matters: This is a substantive personnel and policy signal: OpenAI created a formal Chief Economist role for the first time. HKR-H and HKR-R pass, but HKR-K is limited because the post mainly gives the hire plus a $52B CHIPS credential, not a research agenda.