Former Sen. Laphonza Butler becomes OpenAI adviser
Three people familiar with Butler's new gig, granted anonymity to disclose private personnel moves, confirmed it to POLITICO. An OpenAI spokesperson separately told POLITICO Butler is an adviser. The former senator did not respond to a request for comment.
Prior to joining Congress in 2023, Butler was a longtime labor leader with the Service Employees International Union and a campaign adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris. She came to the Senate from the top post at EMILY's List, which seeks to elect female candidates who support abortion rights.
OpenAI is not her first industry rodeo. She previously worked in private sector consulting for companies like Uber through the firm rebranded as Bearstar Strategies and later made at least $1 million from Airbnb stock as the short-term rental platform's director for public policy.
Butler went into political consulting in 2018 as preparation for Harris' not-yet-unannounced first presidential run. Harris aides and allies told POLITICO earlier this year that she is seriously considering a run for governor in California and gave herself until the end of the summer to decide whether to enter the crowded field.
Butler said in a January interview that she would provide Actum clients with strategic consulting services, indicating a special interest in 'the intersection of work and workers with technology and how we can build a society that works for everyone.' She intended to split her time at the firm between Los Angeles and D.C.
During her Senate stint, Butler ventured into introducing some bills on artificial intelligence. One directed federal agencies to use the technology to better predict and respond to extreme weather. Another proposed $250 million in government funding to educate students and upskill marginalized communities for jobs in an AI future. Neither passed that session.
The nexus of AI and race has been of particular interest to Butler. It repeatedly featured as a theme in her questions during congressional hearings. She said in late 2023 that the technology is 'already widening preexisting inequities,' but then hosted a panel last fall about how AI can empower Black communities.
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