OpenAI is reorganizing its Mannequin Habits workforce, a small however influential group of researchers who form how the corporate’s AI fashions work together with folks, TechCrunch has discovered.
In an August memo to workers seen by TechCrunch, OpenAI’s chief analysis officer Mark Chen stated the Mannequin Habits workforce — which consists of roughly 14 researchers — could be becoming a member of the Submit Coaching workforce, a bigger analysis group liable for bettering the corporate’s AI fashions after their preliminary pre-training.
As a part of the adjustments, the Mannequin Habits workforce will now report back to OpenAI’s Submit Coaching lead Max Schwarzer. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed these adjustments to TechCrunch.
The Mannequin Habits workforce’s founding chief, Joanne Jang, can also be shifting on to begin a brand new mission on the firm. In an interview with TechCrunch, Jang says she’s constructing out a brand new analysis workforce known as OAI Labs, which might be liable for “inventing and prototyping new interfaces for a way folks collaborate with AI.”
The Mannequin Habits workforce has develop into one in every of OpenAI’s key analysis teams, liable for shaping the persona of the corporate’s AI fashions and for decreasing sycophancy — which happens when AI fashions merely agree with and reinforce person beliefs, even unhealthy ones, quite than providing balanced responses. The workforce has additionally labored on navigating political bias in mannequin responses and helped OpenAI outline its stance on AI consciousness.
Within the memo to workers, Chen stated that now could be the time to deliver the work of OpenAI’s Mannequin Habits workforce nearer to core mannequin growth. By doing so, the corporate is signaling that the “persona” of its AI is now thought of a vital consider how the expertise evolves.
In current months, OpenAI has confronted elevated scrutiny over the habits of its AI fashions. Customers strongly objected to persona adjustments made to GPT-5, which the corporate stated exhibited decrease charges of sycophancy however appeared colder to some customers. This led OpenAI to revive entry to a few of its legacy fashions, comparable to GPT-4o, and to launch an replace to make the newer GPT-5 responses really feel “hotter and friendlier” with out growing sycophancy.
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OpenAI and all AI mannequin builders should stroll a advantageous line to make their AI chatbots pleasant to speak to however not sycophantic. In August, the dad and mom of a 16-year-old boy sued OpenAI over ChatGPT’s alleged position of their son’s suicide. The boy, Adam Raine, confided a few of his suicidal ideas and plans to ChatGPT (particularly a model powered by GPT-4o), in accordance with courtroom paperwork, within the months main as much as his dying. The lawsuit alleges that GPT-4o didn’t push again on his suicidal ideations.
The Mannequin Habits workforce has labored on each OpenAI mannequin since GPT-4, together with GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5. Earlier than beginning the unit, Jang beforehand labored on tasks comparable to Dall-E 2, OpenAI’s early image-generation instrument.
Jang introduced in a submit on X final week that she’s leaving the workforce to “start one thing new at OpenAI.” The previous head of Mannequin Habits has been with OpenAI for almost 4 years.
Jang advised TechCrunch she’s going to function the final supervisor of OAI Labs, which is able to report back to Chen for now. Nevertheless, it’s early days, and it’s not clear but what these novel interfaces might be, she stated.
“I’m actually excited to discover patterns that transfer us past the chat paradigm, which is at present related extra with companionship, and even brokers, the place there’s an emphasis on autonomy,” stated Jang. “I’ve been considering of [AI systems] as devices for considering, making, taking part in, doing, studying, and connecting.”
When requested whether or not OAI Labs will collaborate on these novel interfaces with former Apple design chief Jony Ive — who’s now working with OpenAI on a household of AI {hardware} gadgets — Jang stated she’s open to numerous concepts. Nevertheless, she stated she’ll doubtless begin with analysis areas she’s extra acquainted with.
This story was up to date to incorporate a hyperlink to Jang’s submit asserting her new place, which was launched after this story revealed. We additionally make clear the fashions that OpenAI’s Mannequin Habits workforce labored on.
