OpenAI ropes in George Osborne to steer global Stargate push

London: OpenAI is bringing politics into its AI playbook. The ChatGPT maker has appointed George Osborne, Britain’s former finance minister, to spearhead its global expansion strategy, underscoring how artificial intelligence is fast being treated as national infrastructure rather than a private tech bet.

Osborne will take charge as managing director and head of the company’s OpenAI for Countries initiative, a programme designed to work with governments on national AI strategies. He is set to assume the role in January, focusing on overseas expansion and public-sector partnerships.

The initiative is an international extension of OpenAI’s ambitious $500 billion Stargate programme to build data centres in the United States, signalling a push to export both computing muscle and governance frameworks. OpenAI says the effort aims to ensure AI systems are built on democratic values while strengthening local innovation ecosystems, education and infrastructure.

Osborne, who served as chancellor of the exchequer from 2010 to 2016, is expected to represent OpenAI at the World Economic Forum in Davos next month, placing the company squarely in global policy conversations.

The appointment reflects rising geopolitical stakes around AI, where influence now hinges not just on algorithms, but on who writes the rules. OpenAI is betting that power, like data, scales best when governments are on side.