Joshua Achiam is an independent AI researcher currently focused on how rapid progress in AI may create new public policy and national security needs. He previously worked in AI safety research and leadership at OpenAI for nine years, serving as Head of Mission Alignment in 2025 and as Chief Futurist in 2026.
He recently joined the Foundation for American Innovation as a Non-resident Senior Fellow, alongside the Institute for Progress. Against a backdrop of emerging reports that CAISSI would move under the White House, we met in Berkeley last week to discuss the idea of an Acceleration Emergency, mapping the frontier of scientific discovery, and federal job guarantees.
