OpenAI has hired Airbnb’s Emmanuel Marill as its first managing director to oversee operations in Europe, West Asia and Africa, Bloomberg reported. Marill will be tasked with the expansion of ChatGPT’s parent company in key markets, where political pressure is mounting about over-reliance on US artificial intelligence (AI) services.
The French executive moved from Airbnb, where he served a similar role. Marill will be based in OpenAI’s Paris office and will report to Jason Kwan, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer.
In a statement, Kwon said, “As demand for ChatGPT and Codex continues to grow rapidly all over the world, we are investing significantly in our international leadership and operations.” While ChatGPT is the company’s flagship AI-powered chatbot, Codex is an AI-powered programming tool which can generate code in multiple languages such as Python and Javascript.
Who is Marill?
Marill previously led Airbnb’s EMEA, Australia and New Zealand operations for several years. He has also worked with Meta as their financial services and automotive industry lead for Facebook and Instagram.
In a LinkedIn post, Marill wrote, “I’m really excited to share that I’m joining OpenAI as Managing Director for EMEA. AI has already transformed the way I do my work and how I get more done in my personal life. Across EMEA, people, businesses, developers and entrepreneurs are building, learning and innovating with it every day. As the technology advances, and as attention rightly grows on how it is developed and used, I feel privileged to be joining OpenAI at this important time.”
Work cut out
On the one hand, OpenAI is persuading more businesses in the US and abroad to buy its AI software in an attempt to offset the huge cost of building new models. And on the other, corporate and political leaders in Europe are resisting OpenAI and its peers, contending that adopting American technology will undercut the continent’s sovereignty. In fact, French startup Mistral AI, which makes models that compete with OpenAI, pitches itself as a European alternative to US firms.
Meanwhile, it is not clear if OpenAI plans to establish more data centres in the region. Earlier this month, OpenAI paused its Stargate infrastructure project in the UK, citing regulation and energy costs. Microsoft, which backs OpenAI, agreed to rent a data centre facility in Norway that was initially set for a Stargate site.
In addition, OpenAI has signed deals with firms in banking, pharmaceuticals and media across Europe, as well as with German, Greek and Irish governments. The ChatGPT-maker recently announced its plan to expand its headcount in London.
Marill will also be in charge of OpenAI’s trajectory in West Asia, where the company has bet heavily on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). OpenAI’s UAE company partner, G42, recently said that the project is continuing despite the impact of the US war with Iran.
