OpenAI executive Fidji Simo is stepping down from her full-time role at the company and will transition to a part-time advisory position, according to reporting from CNBC and The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Simo is leaving her full-time post because her medical condition has worsened, and that she will not return from an extended medical leave. Instead, she will become a part-time adviser to the company.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Simo has been serving as the head of artificial general intelligence — OpenAI's term for AI systems that could match or exceed human capabilities across a wide range of tasks. The Journal characterizes her departure as a major leadership change at the company.
CNBC reports that Simo herself said she will step down and shift to the part-time advisory role.
The available details are limited, and the sources do not specify who will take over her responsibilities or the exact timing of the transition. The nature of Simo's medical condition was not disclosed in the source reporting.
Why it matters: Leadership at the top of OpenAI draws close attention because the company sits at the center of the global race to build increasingly powerful AI, and the loss of the executive overseeing its artificial general intelligence work marks a notable shift at one of the industry's most closely watched firms.