OpenAI adds Stanford AI education researcher Benjamin Leiva to education team

Leiva joins after working on teacher AI use, K-12 evidence and research tools at Stanford University’s AI Hub for Education.

Benjamin Leiva has joined OpenAI’s Education team after working at Stanford University’s AI Hub for Education. Image credit: Benjamin Leiva

OpenAI has appointed economist and data scientist Benjamin Leiva to its Education team, where he will work on systems intended to make artificial intelligence a more effective learning partner for users worldwide.

Leiva announced the move in June 2026 after leaving the AI Hub for Education at Stanford University’s SCALE Initiative. His previous work included analyzing how teachers use AI tools, developing resources for education leaders and maintaining an AI-powered repository of academic research.

He has joined OpenAI as a member of industry staff in San Francisco. OpenAI has not disclosed which education products, institutions or learner groups Leiva will work with first, or provided a timeline for forthcoming initiatives.

In a LinkedIn post announcing his appointment, Leiva wrote: "As part of the Education team, I’ll help build the systems that make AI a more effective learning partner for millions of people around the world."

The hire adds expertise in education data, product development and evidence evaluation to OpenAI’s education operation as the organization develops learning programs and tools around ChatGPT and its wider AI portfolio.

From Stanford research to OpenAI

Leiva spent nearly two years with the SCALE Initiative at Stanford University, first as a research data analyst and later as a senior research data analyst at its AI Hub for Education.

His work there included analysis of real-world teacher interactions with AI products supplied through EdTech platforms. According to his professional profile, research blogs developed from that work examined how K-12 educators use AI and the types of prompts teachers submit to AI systems.

Leiva also contributed to an evidence report examining research on AI in K-12 education. The project was intended to give educators and policymakers a clearer view of the available evidence as schools make decisions about classroom adoption.

Another part of his Stanford role involved building and maintaining a large language model-powered research repository. The system used public application programming interfaces to retrieve, classify and synthesize thousands of academic papers on AI in education.

Leiva said his time at Stanford involved studying "how learners and educators engage with AI" and developing practitioner tools to help education leaders make informed decisions about its use.

Education role spans research and product development

Leiva’s professional background combines economics, data science, machine learning and product development across education, government, healthcare and energy.

Before joining OpenAI, he also worked as a contractor for Google DeepMind, where he developed an AI-powered tool intended to support the workflows of AI policy researchers.

Earlier work at the Machine Intelligence in Education Lab involved using generative AI and natural language processing to analyze biases, inaccuracies and sentiment in public and private school textbooks.

Leiva also co-founded a technology venture in 2025, although details of its work were not included in the information announcing his move to OpenAI.

His appointment comes as AI developers place greater emphasis on education-specific deployment, including learner guidance, teacher support, institutional adoption and evidence of educational impact. OpenAI has not set out how Leiva’s research background will be divided between product development, customer education and evaluation.

OpenAI expands its education capability

OpenAI’s education work increasingly covers both direct learner use and institution-level AI adoption. Recent activity has included training resources for organizations, workforce AI courses and programs intended to help users move from basic prompting to repeatable workflows.

Leiva’s experience examining teacher behavior and education research gives the team additional capacity to evaluate how AI is used in practice, rather than relying solely on model performance or user adoption figures.

Announcing the move, he wrote: "There’s still a lot of work ahead in AI and education, and I feel very fortunate to continue working alongside so many people who care deeply about getting this right."

OpenAI has not announced Leiva’s first project. His move from Stanford took effect in June 2026, with his role focused on OpenAI’s Education team and the development of AI-supported learning systems.