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ChatGPT creator OpenAI has already advertised nine roles based in its new Dublin office as it eyes further expansion in Europe.
Silicon Valley tech start-up OpenAI is opening an office in Dublin as the AI chatbot trailblazer hopes to expand its presence in Ireland and the European market.
Dublin is the third city OpenAI will have an office in, after its headquarters in San Francisco and a London office announced in June – its first corporate office outside the US.
OpenAI said that it will grow its team in Ireland for the rest of this year across its operations, trust and safety, go-to-market, security engineering and legal teams. According to its Careers page, OpenAI is currently hiring for nine roles based in the new Dublin office.
CEO Sam Altman said the company chose Ireland because it “blends a talented workforce with support for innovation and responsible business growth”.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney, TD, said that it is essential for Ireland to have “a strong, supportive ecosystem in place” to benefit from AI.
“We believe that companies such as OpenAI operating in Ireland can help build on our foundation to support emerging AI research and innovation, and ensure our workforce is well prepared.”
Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer at OpenAI, told Reuters that even though the company is starting small in Dublin, it intends to open more roles soon.
He also confirmed that, as of now, the Dublin office will not be the company’s European headquarters and there will not be an executive running the office. Because OpenAI is a non-profit, tax implications did not play a role in its decision to set up shop in Dublin.
“We like to grow deliberately and not too rapidly because we want to make sure that the culture of the company is established first in new offices before we scale up,” Kwon told the outlet.
OpenAI said in its announcement that it is ready to collaborate with the Government to support Ireland’s National AI Strategy and work with industry, start-ups and researchers to “understand priorities and ideas” for advancing AI development and deployment.
The company has already started making its presence felt on the island. It said it has provided mentorship and access to its technology to Patch, the youth accelerator programme based at Dogpatch Labs that recently wrapped up for this year.
“Ireland is a recognised hub for administrative, regulatory and innovation activities for the world’s leading digital companies,” said Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland. “OpenAI’s investment confirms this and endorses Ireland’s focus on building a flourishing AI ecosystem.”
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