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

Chatterji, also a professor of business and public policy at Duke, will consider the economic implications of AI at OpenAI--directed research into how AI could change the prospects for growth, jobs, and economic activity.

Notably, Chatterji helped guide the Biden administration's rollout of the 2022 CHIPS Act, the legislation that authorized some $280 billion for domestic development of computer chips. Familiarity with the project and connections in the political world may prove to be just what the proverbial doctor ordered for OpenAI as it builds its own chip-design efforts.

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