Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer at OpenAI, announced the launch of her new AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, on Tuesday. The venture is backed by a team of approximately 30 prominent researchers and engineers from organizations including OpenAI, Meta, and Mistral.
Thinking Machines Lab aims to create artificial intelligence systems that incorporate human values and target a wider range of applications than those currently offered by its competitors, as detailed in a blog post released by the company.
The formation of the startup highlights Murati’s ability to attract leading talent from her previous employer. Notably, around two-thirds of the new company’s workforce consists of former OpenAI staff members. Among them is Barret Zoph, a notable researcher who departed OpenAI on the same day as Murati in late September. Zoph has taken on the role of technology chief at the startup.
John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has been appointed as the chief scientist of Thinking Machines Lab. Schulman transitioned from OpenAI to rival Anthropic in August, citing a desire to concentrate on AI alignment.
AI alignment refers to the methodology of incorporating human values into AI models to enhance their safety and reliability—a central focus for Thinking Machines Lab.
Reports indicate that additional former OpenAI employees may join the ranks of Thinking Machines Lab, according to sources who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
The startup is currently in discussions to secure venture capital funding, as mentioned in previous reports by Reuters.
As CEO of Thinking Machines Lab, Murati joins a growing number of former OpenAI executives who have embarked on entrepreneurial ventures in the AI space. Other startups such as Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence have also attracted talent from OpenAI, successfully raising significant investments.
Thinking Machines Lab’s strategy sets it apart from competitors by fostering collaboration between research and product teams. The company intends to advance AI alignment research through the open sharing of code, datasets, and model specifications.
“While current systems excel at programming and mathematics, we’re building AI that can adapt to the full spectrum of human expertise and enable a broader spectrum of applications,” the startup elaborated.
Murati, who joined OpenAI in June 2018, played a key role in the development of ChatGPT and often represented the organization alongside CEO Sam Altman. Her recent departure was one in a series of high-profile exits coinciding with restructuring at OpenAI.
Before her tenure at OpenAI, she was involved with augmented reality firm Leap Motion and held a position at Tesla.
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