OpenAI appoints former Coursera executive Leah Belsky as general manager of education

OpenAI has announced the appointment of Leah Belsky as its first general manager of education, signaling its commitment to expanding its artificial intelligence products into more schools and classrooms.

Belsky, who previously worked at Coursera Inc. as Executive, will be responsible for expanding the relationship between OpenAI and the education community, which includes K-12, higher education, and continuing education. 

Belsky will help implement OpenAI’s solutions in the educational process. Her new position is to handle the relations between OpenAI and schools and work with the internal teams on products, policies, and marketing. This cross-functional approach is intended to forge alliances with universities and develop AI solutions for educational applications. 

OpenAI launches tailored version for educational institutions

After the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, the product received much attention from students, and many of them utilized the tool in their coursework. In response to this, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Edu in May, a version made for educational institutions and comes with additional features and pricing options.

Belsky’s appointment coincides with OpenAI’s increasing partnership with academic institutions globally. Some of the institutions that have adopted the use of ChatGPT Edu include the University of Oxford, Arizona State University, and Columbia University. In line with this, OpenAI is slated to hold a meeting in October with presidents and provosts of top universities. 

According to the announcement the meeting will be centered on how to appropriately integrate AI in teaching and research. This move is in line with OpenAI’s goal of supporting educators to apply the best practices of AI in learning institutions. 

Company strengthens leadership with strategic hires 

Belsky hiring aligns with the recent hires that have been happening at the company. Earlier this month, former political strategist Chris Lehane was appointed as the Vice President of Global Policy at OpenAI. Lehane, who has experience in political and social matters, has previously served in similar positions at Airbnb and the Clinton White House.

As reported by Cryptopolitan, Lehane was known as the ‘master of disaster’ during his time with President Bill Clinton due to his skills in crisis management. In his new capacity, Lehane will report to Anna Makanju, who has been appointed as the Vice President of Global Impact after serving as the Vice President of Global Affairs. In addition, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently stepped down from the company’s internal Safety and Security Committee, which was formed in May to handle important decisions.