OpenAI welcomes Aleksander Madry back to tackle AI safety challenges

Aleksander Madry is going back to OpenAI. The researcher, who once led the company’s Preparedness team, is returning to focus on AI safety and security challenges. The return was announced on October 19, 2026, about five months after he left in May 2026. Madry’s framing of his return is what stands out. He has argued that AI has moved into a new phase, one where safety and security are now the central problems. What Madry will be doing Madry will work alongside OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki. Their brief covers how fast AI is advancing and what that pace means, both for OpenAI’s own strategy and for the wider industry. Pachocki has stressed the value of Madry’s judgment. In his view, that judgment matters more as AI systems become more powerful and the safety concerns around them grow. Pachocki oversees the research direction of the company. Madry brings a background in robust machine learning, a field focused on building models that behave reliably even when inputs are messy, unexpected or deliberately hostile. A winding path back Madry’s history at OpenAI has not been a straight line. He spent nearly three years at the company before his May 2026 departure. For part of tha...