Zoë Hitzig Resigns from OpenAI Amid Concerns Over ChatGPT Advertising
London, 12 February 2026 – Prominent economist and researcher Zoë Hitzig has announced her resignation from OpenAI, citing the company’s decision to integrate advertisements into ChatGPT as a fundamental breach of user trust. Hitzig, who served as a Research Scientist at the artificial intelligence firm for two years, voiced her concerns in a high-profile editorial published this week, warning that the pursuit of ad revenue threatens the ethical guardrails she helped establish.
Resignation and Ethical Warnings
On Monday, 9 February 2026, Hitzig stepped down from her role at OpenAI, coinciding with the company’s initial testing of advertisements within its flagship interface. In an op-ed published in the New York Times on 11 February 2026, Hitzig argued that OpenAI possesses an “unprecedented archive of human candour” and that introducing commercial incentives could lead to the exploitation of intimate user data.
Hitzig expressed fears that OpenAI is following a “grim” path similar to earlier social media giants, where the pressure to satisfy advertisers eventually undermines the safety and privacy of the platform. Her departure follows a growing trend of safety-focused researchers exiting major AI labs, including recent resignations at rival firm Anthropic.
Academic and Professional Background
Zoë Hitzig is a highly distinguished academic whose work bridges the gap between economics, philosophy, and technology. Before joining OpenAI in 2024, she established herself as a notable poet and a scholar of computational antitrust and privacy.
Key Facts: Zoë Hitzig
The following table outlines the academic and professional milestones of Zoë Hitzig based on verified records.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current Role | Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows |
| Former Role | Research Scientist at OpenAI (2024–2026) |
| Education (PhD) | PhD in Economics, Harvard University (2023) |
| Education (MPhil) | MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge |
| Education (Undergraduate) | AB in Mathematics, Harvard College |
| Notable Publications | Mezzanine (Poetry Collection, 2020) |
| Research Focus | Privacy, Data Attribution, and Computational Antitrust |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Zoë Hitzig leave OpenAI?
Hitzig resigned on 9 February 2026, specifically citing the introduction of advertisements to ChatGPT. She believes that the shift toward an ad-based business model creates misaligned incentives that could compromise user privacy and the integrity of AI safety policies.
What is Hitzig’s primary concern regarding AI advertising?
She has warned that because users share deeply personal and “intimate” information with AI models, using that data to drive an advertising engine is inherently dangerous. She suggests this move risks repeating the ethical failures seen in the evolution of major social media platforms.
Is Zoë Hitzig still involved in academia?
Yes. Alongside her former role at OpenAI, she is a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Her academic work continues to focus on the intersection of economic analysis and the governance of large language models.