Lab leader

Joanne Jang

Joanne Jang is a former OpenAI executive who was the founding leader of the Model Behavior team, a group whose work has influenced OpenAI systems including GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5. She earned degrees in computer science and applied math from Stanford University. Earlier, she was product lead for DALL·E, an OpenAI image system whose beta opened in July 2022. In September 2025 she established OAI Labs, a group for prototyping interfaces for human-AI collaboration, and the Model Behavior team moved under Post Training. She announced her departure from OpenAI in April 2026, ending a four-and-a-half-year career at the company.

Now at
OpenAI

Timeline

  1. By 2022

    Stanford computer science degrees

    By 2022 she holds a master's degree in computer science and a bachelor's degree in applied math from Stanford University.

  2. 2022

    Product lead for DALL·E

    She is product lead for DALL·E in 2022, an OpenAI system that creates images from natural language descriptions.

  3. July 2022

    The DALL·E beta opens

    The DALL·E beta opens in July 2022 and now has more than 1 million users.

  4. September 2025

    Launching OAI Labs

    As the founding leader of Model Behavior, she establishes OAI Labs in September 2025, a group that prototypes interfaces for human-AI collaboration.

  5. September 2025

    Model Behavior joins Post Training

    OpenAI moves the Model Behavior team under Post Training in September 2025, and the team has influenced OpenAI systems including GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5.

  6. April 2026

    Leaving OpenAI

    She announces her departure from OpenAI in April 2026 as general manager of OAI Labs, ending a four-and-a-half-year career at the company.

Sources and credits

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  1. Speaker Details: EmTech MIT 2022 event.technologyreview.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. OpenAI Restructures Model Behavior Team as Joanne Jang Launches OAI Labs theaiinsider.tech. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. OpenAI reorganizes research team behind ChatGPT's personality | TechCrunch techcrunch.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. OpenAI's Model Behavior Lead Departs, the Architect Behind GPT-4o's "Soul" — BigGo Finance finance.biggo.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. OpenAI Senior Executive Joanne Jang Announces Departure: Known as the 'Mother of GPT-4o' news.aibase.com. Checked 14 October 2026.