OpenAI appoints former Trump AI adviser Dean Ball to head new strategic futures unit

OpenAI has brought in Dean Ball, a former Trump administration AI policy writer and longtime right-leaning think-tank figure, to lead its newly created strategic futures team.

OpenAI announced that Dean Ball will direct a new strategic futures unit, a think-tank-style group meant to guide the firm’s AI policy direction. The 34-year-old previously worked for the Manhattan Institute, authored the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, and built a following on Substack as a vocal pro-AI commentator. Critics, including Pentagon research chief Emil Michael, have dismissed him as an over-confident figure, and a current White House official says his role in the action plan was exaggerated.

Ball says he will focus on developing fresh visions for superintelligent AI and support moderate safety audits, while leaving direct lobbying to OpenAI’s global affairs team. His hiring has sparked debate over whether an industry insider can retain credibility while publicly analyzing AI risks, especially after a controversial X post on open-weight models drew millions of views and intense backlash. Despite the controversy, Ball insists his independence remains intact and that his work will help shape the evolving relationship between AI labs and governments.