Ex-OpenAI Talent Flocks to Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab in AI Alignment Pursuit
1min read Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has officially announced the establishment of her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab, bringing together a formidable team largely composed of former colleagues from OpenAI. This AI startup aims to encode human values into AI models to enhance their safety and reliability. The company, comprising 29 employees, boasts a team with two-thirds having previously worked at OpenAI, marking it as one of the most talent-dense AI startups.
Leading the company as CEO, Murati is joined by other notable ex-OpenAI figures, including Barret Zoph as CTO and John Schulman as Chief Scientist. Lilian Weng, another former OpenAI executive, has also joined the company, signaling a significant talent migration from OpenAI to Thinking Machines Lab.
The new company aims to contribute to AI alignment research by sharing code, datasets, and model guidelines. Murati has successfully recruited around 10 employees from competitors like Character AI and Google DeepMind, with more expected to join. The company has yet to launch any products but differentiates itself through a collaborative research design approach, intending to make AI systems more understandable and customizable.
Specializing in AI that supports human collaboration, rather than fully autonomous systems, Thinking Machines Lab emphasizes multimodal capabilities across various media. This approach not only sets it apart from traditional AI paradigms but also indicates an industry shift towards more integrated human-AI interaction.
Murati, who played a pivotal role at OpenAI in projects like ChatGPT, temporarily served as interim CEO of OpenAI, reflecting her leadership capabilities. Her exit and entrepreneurial endeavor are part of a broader trend of prominent departures from OpenAI, as seen with other ex-employees launching similar initiatives.
As Murati seeks to raise substantial venture capital for her new endeavor, the industry watches closely how Thinking Machines Lab will shape the AI landscape with its unique approach to AI development, prioritizing an inclusive and aligned AI future.
